Aquarion Evol: Dimension Divergence
by nanaya88
Summary: A story set in the Aquarion universe operating under the premise that events starting at Episode 13 of Evol went very differently. Jin's survival triggers a cascade of events that alters the course of events of Aquarion Evol.
1. Ch 1 and 2: Divergence, Aftermath

-This fic begins during the events of episode 13 of Aquarion Evol. It represents a divergence from the storyline of Evol. Think of it as a world line shift, borrowing the term from Steins;Gate. I do not own any of the characters associated with Aquarion or Aquarion Evol which were created by Shoji Kawamori. This is simply a fan-made work.

**Chapter 1- Divergence**

Jin Muso flew his Vector through the dimension gate, leaving behind the world of Vega and those he had come to know as friends. In his arms he held a small girl, Yunoha Thrul. _No! He couldn't afford to think of her as a friend or a girl; doing so would mean turning his back on his world, Altair._

"Please Jin-kun," Yunoha pleaded, "You have to turn back. I know you don't really want to leave your friends. You know that they care about you. I'm not asking you to go only for them. You seemed so happy when you began to open up to them. Don't go back to being alone…please."

The last word came out in a sob. Jin looked down at the controls of his Vector. He couldn't bear to face the girl directly. He knew that the moment he did, he would see her tears; those same tears that first made him waver in his dedication to finding a Rare Igura capable of surviving on Altair. He had to stay strong. He had to remember what it was like when the people of Neo-DEAVA were his enemies. He _had_ to.

A nasty little voice in his head asked, "_Then why are your hands shaking so much?_ _Do you really think that bringing one lone girl, tearing her apart from her friends and her past life, do you think that will change anything on Altair? Tell me Jin Muso, so proud of your logic and analytical skills, do you really believe that a single woman is enough to restore the population of an entire planet?"_

"Be quiet!" Jin shouted at the voice. Yunoha looked up at him in shock. Concern was etched on every feature of her face. And down in his heart, Jin knew that the concern was not for herself or the friends they had left Vega, but for him.

Jin kept his hands as steady as he could on the controls. The ship bounced around in the tunnel between dimensions, heeding the commands of a pilot who was utterly torn between what his heart was telling him and what duty compelled him to do.

* * *

Back on Vega, the fight was going poorly for the pilots of the Aquarion. Try as they might, they couldn't seem to land a decisive hit on the enemy. What made things worse was that strange beacon of light that radiated from the dimension gate to the enemy machine. With every passing moment, the movements of the beast-like mech, Mithra Gnis, seemed to grow faster and every strike it delivered seemed stronger than the last.

If they had the third Vector for a second combination, it might have been a different story. If it was two against one, they might have a chance against this enemy. But Jin had disappeared into the dimension gate along with Yunoha; they were on their own.

Amata Sora's hands were feeling very sweaty and he was starting to run out of breath. That red-haired beast-like pilot was a lot stronger than when they had last fought. What made things even worse was that strange reflection ability he was using. Projectiles, melee, even the MUGEN Punch, nothing seemed to be able to overwhelm that ridiculous defensive power. But finding a way around that power was only second on his mind. He still had to find a way to defy fate; otherwise, Mikono-san would be taken away by that man. A stray thought entered his mind; that Mikono-san might not mind too much if she was captured if it was by that man. Amata shook his head, he couldn't let himself think such thoughts in the middle of battle.

He focused on the task at hand. That light coming from the dimension gate, they had to stop it somehow. The only person he knew that might have that ability was MIX-san, but she had disappeared into a hole along with Andy a while back. Even if she was able to close the hole, she would need to be within the Aquarion to access the needed power and switching pilot mid-battle against this foe, assuming she could even make it to the control room without being trampled or running into dead ends in a locked-down base, might present a fatal opening.

Another heavy blow knocked the Aquarion Evol back two steps. Amata managed to avoid the brunt of the force, but even so, he didn't think that he could take much more of this. He was feeling very drained. The screens into the other two cockpits told him that Mikono-san and Zessica-san were as weary as he was.

"Amata," Zessica cried out, "I don't know how much longer we can hold the Union together for."

The Mithra Gnis swung it's axe overhead aiming straight for the Evol's head. Amata somehow managed to catch it by the handle before it could connect but he felt his mech being pinned down from the force behind the weapon. The Aquarion Evol sank to its knees, straining to keep the blade from completing its descent. The angry red eyes of the Mithra Gnis glared at him through the viewing monitor, looking very much like an executioner that had decided to pass judgment.

The enemy let go of the axe and leapt forwards, knocking the Aquarion to the ground. Straddling the Neo-DEAVA machine, it began pounding away relentlessly. As the cockpit shook around him, Amata could hear the screams of his co-pilots. He tried desperately to ward off the blows when, in a flash of light, the three units of the Evol split apart and launched outwards—only to crash land into the ground.

"Mikono-san!" Amata screamed as he watched the enemy turn and head straight for her Vector. Amata exited his cockpit just as the red-haired man exited his and stood over Mikono's machine with a triumphant expression on his face.

The man had somehow opened the cockpit of the craft and was taking Mikono out when Amata began to fly towards him, using every ounce of energy he could muster up to boost the speed of his wings. It worked. As he was looking down at the girl in his arms with an expression that could only be described as half-crazed and half-adoring, Amata grabbed Mikono and carried her away without losing any speed at all.

The poorly planned rescue lasted only half a second longer than that. As he flew away, the red-haired man raised his arms up and used his power on Amata, stripping him of his wings almost instantaneously. Amata crashed to the ground hard, barely managing to turn around so that he could at least shield Mikono from some of the impact. That meant that she landed on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs and dazing him. Through blurred eyes, he could see the enemy slowly approaching, walking towards them as if he had all the time in the world.

* * *

Cayenne urged his Vector to go faster as he raced to his sister's rescue. It was going to be risky, but he would have to trust in his skills and his 'Prophecy of Despair' in order to chase off the enemy pilot, who had left his machine, without hitting Mikono or Amata. A few weeks ago, he probably wouldn't have minded if Amata got into the crossfire, but the soldier-in-training had to admit that the boy was a pretty good influence on Mikono and that he was starting to grow on him.

He fired off a few shots, but they none of them came close to either the enemy or the two grounded pilots. Trying to avoid friendly fire was going to make hitting the enemy impossible, especially at the speeds Cayenne was travelling at. Still, the intruder from Altair seemed to have gotten the message and scrambled for his own machine.

_Crap_, Cayenne thought, _without an Aquarion, there's no way we stand a chance against that machine._

Chairman Crea's voice spoke over the intercom, "We need to close the dimension gate."

Cayenne agreed but had no idea how the hell they were going to accomplish that. As if in answer to his question, a split screen opened up in Cayenne's HUD, revealing a pair of familiar faces: Yunoha and the Altair spy, Akbarjin.

"I'll do it," he declared, "with my 'Power of Isolation.'"

"Why should we trust you Akbarjin?" Cayenne barked. He had no attachment for the spy and if it wasn't for Yunoha's presence in the same machine, he would have pulled the trigger and turned Jin's Vector into scrap metal without hesitation.

"I'm not Akbarjin. My name is Jin…Jin Muso. I'm not asking you to trust me," the boy declared, looking down at Yunoha affectionately, "just to Union with me. It's the only choice you have right now if you want to close the gate."

As Jin said those words, Cayenne was seized by one of his visions: In it, a formless shadow took hold of the one-eyed giant and strangled it. Cayenne heard the sounds of mourning, but as he turned around, no one else was to be seen. He snapped out of the vision as suddenly as he was engulfed in it.

"Cayenne-san, are you alright?" Yunoha called. The invisible mourner, it couldn't be…

"Watch out!" he shouted at them through the communication link, "Something dangerous is heading your way!"

Even as the words left his lips, Cayenne wondered why they had formed in the first place. Surely he didn't care what happened to Jin. He rationalized it; if something happened to Jin, it would probably happen to Yunoha as well. And Yunoha was a comrade; even if he wasn't friends with her, Cayenne had an obligation to protect her. _Good enough_, he thought to himself.

A brief flash of light shone from the cockpit of Yunoha and Jin's Vector. Shortly after, a form floated through the machine itself. Cayenne caught a glimpse of it before it disappeared. It looked like a person with bluish-white feathers instead of hair. That small glimpse along was enough for every honed instinct in Cayenne's body to scream, "Enemy."

"Thank you for the warning," Jin said. He looked rather shaken but both him and Yunoha seemed alright for now. Cayenne would have to put him to question later. If he knew anything about that ghost-like person, that information could prove crucial.

Of course, this entire interplay gave the red-haired pilot enough time to take off in the Mithra Gnis. It also looked as if Amata and his sister had enough time to get back in their own Vectors. Between himself, those two, Zessica, and the returned Vector, they had nearly enough to form two Aquarion units. Shrade was flying about somewhere as well, which made all sic they needed.

The question remained though: _Could he trust Jin to Union?_ One look at Yunoha through the split screen told Cayenne that she trusted him fully, but she had a biased view. The spy's actions in returning after reaching an escape path did suggest that he was willing to throw his lot in with Neo-DEAVA, but Cayenne wasn't about to let him be the one in control of the head in this Union.

"Fine. We'll go with your plan, but I'm going to be the leader in your Union, got that, spy?" Cayenne declared.

Crea's voice came over the intercom, "Double Union approved. Shrade Elan and Suzushiro Cayenne will be the heads of their respective Unions. Good luck to you all."

The cries of "Go! Aquarion!" filled the cockpits of all six vectors simultaneously. Shrade, Amata, and his sister formed the Aquarion Spada while Cayenne formed his preferred unit, Aquarion Gepard along with Zessica and the two returnees. As he fell into the bliss that accompanied every Union, Cayenne caught a glimpse of the affection Jin and Yunoha had for one another; that, if nothing else was as genuine as could be. It was breathtaking, pure and fierce, shy yet bold, forbidden yet allowed. It was a wonder that a girl shy enough to literally become invisible and a boy who was a friendless introvert not long ago could have developed such feelings for one another.

That passion now fueled the Gepard, powering it up to levels Cayenne had never experienced in a Union up until now. Over to his side, he caught a glimpse of Shrade keeping the Mithra Gnis occupied; elegant dodging and countering meeting pure bestial rage in a clash of steel. He trusted his friend to cover for him while Cayenne worked on closing the dimension gate. As the power filling the Gepard reached a peak, the entire unit reformed, constructing new weapons and entering a new conformation such that it resembled a tank turret on 4 spider-like legs. Although Cayenne had no idea what they were doing, he could feel something happening as Jin and Yunoha in the other Vector focused their feelings, channeling it towards forcing the dimension gate closed. And slowly but surely, the gate began to shrink until only the tiniest beam of light streamed through to the Mithra Gnis.

Moments later, their task was complete. Cayenne wanted to assist Shrade in taking down the Abductor unit, but it seemed that all three of his co-pilots were exhausted from their efforts up until now. He would have to trust in Shrade's skill in finishing the job. There was still one task left for him to complete.

Drawing his stun ray gun, Cayenne exited his cockpit and opened the hatch to the one Jin was in. Pointing his gun at the boy, Cayenne said calmly, "Now then, I'll have to ask you to stay put for now and keep your hands where I can see them."

Yunoha tried to get in between them, but Jin gently pushed her to the side. He rose to his feet and put his hands behind his head. He was a fellow soldier and understood the rules of engagement.

"Very well," he answered calmly, "I understand."

**Chapter 2- Aftermath**

Neo-DEAVA Academy awoke to a very solemn morning. The grounds were in utter ruins and several students were still missing. Never had they expected an enemy attack so suddenly and directed towards them at the start. They had always been a reactionary force, scrambling to counter the threat of the Abductors as they appeared. In hindsight, it was only reasonable that one day the enemy would direct their efforts towards them first; they had always taken that for granted and the previous evening's events was a heavy price to pay.

Clean-up had been delayed until morning. With the risk of collapsing structures, the higher-ups had decided that it was just too dangerous to commence with search and rescue during the night. Akbarjin… Jin Muso, had been apprehended by Cayenne and was awaiting a decision as to what to do with him in one of the detention cells. Yunoha Thrul had insisted on staying with him; she was given the room next to his (though she was not locked in) and a guard was posted to make sure that she did not try to release him.

Cayenne was the only pilot from the previous night's battle who was still fit for work. He wasted no time in heading out to help look for survivors and clean up the grounds. Amata, Mikono, and Zessica were all admitted to the sick room to recover. Shrade, whose frail body underwent considerable strain in the fight against the Abductor, was sent to a more private location to rest and get well.

Jin looked up towards the sound of footsteps outside his door. He hadn't gotten much sleep, choosing instead to think on what would happen to him. Most likely they would interrogate him first. After all, he had been one of the ones they called "Abductors" and only a complete fool would pass up the chance to learn about the enemy. Not that Jin considered them enemies anymore, it was up to him to persuade them that they shouldn't consider him one either.

He smiled slightly to himself as he listened to the soft sound of Yunoha sleeping in the next room. The walls were thin enough to transmit the quietest of sounds and he found that her relaxed breathing helped him to relax as well, even with the knowledge that he might be tortured or executed. She had stayed up most of the night, talking to him.

At first she had tried to reassure him that everything would be alright. She had sounded so desperate, trying to convince herself, that Jin ended up having to repeat exactly what she had told him back to her. In the end, they talked about what their hopes for the future were, their concerns, and their past experiences. Jin was surprised at how much he could open up to her without feeling vulnerable, he had always thought that trusting someone that much only invited pain.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss. The Igura, no- Jin couldn't think of them as such anymore. The _woman_ in nun's clothing, Suomi Konepi, head of the girl's side of the school, walked in. She was followed shortly by Donar Dantes, head of the boy's side. As usual, Donar Dantes wore a military uniform, boots, and a grim look on his face.

"Akba—Jin Muso, come with us if you would," Suomi-sensei requested. From the glare that Donar-sensei was giving him, Jin knew that the request was only an effort to be polite; he had no choice in the matter.

The two instructors led him down the familiar path to the command room. "_Well_," Jin thought humorlessly, "_at least I know there aren't any torture instruments there_."

Inside, Jin found the headmistress, Crea, and the Supreme Commander Zen Fudo waiting for him. Judging by the half-eaten box of donuts between the two, they had been waiting for quite some time. Donar and Suomi-sensei took up flanking positions by the entrance to the room, presumably to cut off his escape if he tried; not that Jin would, since doing so would mean abandoning Yunoha.

"Have a donut," the headmistress said as she pushed the box a little closer towards Jin. She was a small girl, always dressed in a lacy black dress. It was hard to get a gauge on her age since she looked like she should be about 13 years old at the most but acted more mature than most adults Jin knew.

"What?" Jin asked, not sure if he heard correctly.

"A donut," the Supreme Commander stated grandiosely. "That staple food which loops upon itself, leading from the conclusion of one tale to the beginning of a new. Today we celebrate a new beginning for you, young man, and thus donuts are most appropriate. I trust you have not had breakfast yet?"

Headmistress Crea gave the Supreme Commander a look that managed to mix both exasperation and admiration. She then daintily took a chocolate coated donut from the box and took a bite out of it. Hesitating slightly, Jin took one for himself: a powdered donut seemed like a safe choice.

"An excellent choice, young man," stated Fudo Zen as he took the last donut, a frosted glaze, for himself.

"Is there some significance to powdered donuts?" Jin asked, confused. The Supreme Commander had a reputation for eccentricity around the Academy and only 2 minutes after having met the man, Jin already knew why.

Fudo Zen smiled mysteriously, "A donut is sometimes just a donut." Then, as if to further perplex Jin, he added, "but then again, you can never know when something is not what it appears."

Crea and Fudo waited as Jin finished his donut. After almost half a day without eating, it was the best meal Jin had ever tasted. He wiped his fingers off on his long coat when he was done to get rid of the powdered sugar that coated his fingers.

"Now then," the headmistress began, "Let us get down to business. Jin-kun, you have information about the world of the Abductors that we would like to hear. Are you willing to share it?"

From behind him, Jin heard a click as Donar adjusted his mechanical hand. His counterpart, Suomi-sensei admonished him sharply for the threatening gesture. To be honest, Jin didn't care about it at all. As a fellow soldier, he knew that sometimes, the best way to get what you wanted was through intimidation. Unnecessary in this case, but a logical course of action.

"I'm willing to share information," Jin said, "on two conditions."

"Hey, you. I don't think you—," Donar began.

"Donar," the headmistress interrupted. Then, turning back to Jin, she said, "And what conditions are those? If they're unsatisfactory, I just might turn you over to Instructor Dantes."

"Nothing of that sort," Jin replied, "The first is that I want the right to decline to answer if the answer represents an immediate threat to Altair."

Crea thought for a moment and then nodded, "That is acceptable, and what is your second condition."

Jin did not hesitate at all, "I want to continue as a student here in Neo-DEAVA."

At this, Instructor Dantes took a step forward aggressively before Suomi-sensei stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. That didn't stop him from growling, "I object to that condition."

Crea looked over to the Supreme Commander for his opinion. As usual, Fudo Zen had a smug smile on his face. He made no move to speak, instead fixing Crea with a look that said more effectively than words "You handle this however you see fit."

"Your objection is noted, Donar," she said, "But I see no reason to disallow Jin-kun's enrollment here. After all, we allowed it when we discovered that he was an imposter under the name of Akbarjin, why should we do any different now?"

"With all due respect there is a slight difference between allowing an unknown student who passed the final exam to continue studies and allowing a known Abductor continued access to our facilities!" Donar pointed out.

"Nevertheless, my decision still stands," Crea replied unyieldingly. "Now then, Jin-kun. As we have accepted both your conditions, tell me this. What is the goal of the Abductors? What is the purpose behind launching these attacks to kidnap civilians?"

Taking a deep breath, Jin launched into a long explanation about the "Curse of Eve" and how the women of his home-world had all perished long ago to a mysterious ailment.

* * *

Donar Dantes stood with his arms crossed watching as the questioning continued. They had learned a lot over the past hour but as the answers came, more questions arose. It seemed that Jin Muso was a mid-ranked officer within the Abductor home-world, Altair. Jin's home-world was an odd one, almost entirely covered by man-made structures and powered by a mysterious engine called the Ianthe. Questioning Jin about the Ianthe didn't get anywhere; the boy admitted that he knew little about how it functioned and what little he did know he refused to tell, saying that it might put his world in danger. Possibly the most important thing they learned was the reason behind the abductions; to keep a world with no birth-rate alive until a solution could be found.

Such desperate conditions meant that reasoning with the leader of the Altair forces, Izumo, might be an option. Unfortunately, when Jin had tried to contact his superior using his recorder/hologram/communicator device, nothing but static came over the channel. Jin had seemed surprised and said something about never having experienced communication difficulties before. So, for the time being, it seemed as if diplomacy was not going to be an option.

Jin had also revealed two names that seemed to be important. Mykage, some sort of priest figure for the people of Altair, and Kagura, a pilot with a fiery temper who seemed to have his own agenda outside of finding "the True Eve" who would restore the world of Altair. Based on his description, Mykage must be the name of that man who had stolen away Donar's love along with his arms back when he was the main pilot for the Aquarion. Kagura was the one who had attacked Neo-DEAVA on his own last night. Although he had been defeated, Donar's gut instinct told him that they would be meeting that pilot again soon.

Even though he had been skeptical initially, Donar had to admit that Jin Muso was being very cooperative; almost eager to please, it seemed. How was it that love could change someone that much in such a short period of time? It had been so long ago for Donar that he had nearly forgotten.

"What do you think of all this?" he asked Suomi-sensei who was fidgeting about a little and adjusting her robes. It seemed that she was not used to standing still as a guard for such lengths of time.

"Well," she answered thoughtfully, "it would be nice if we could make contact with this Izumo character. It sounds like he might be reasonable enough to end the conflict if we promised to send help to their world. I don't know what to make of Mykage or Kagura though. Those two could cause a lot of trouble with how much influence they have on the other world."

Donar nodded. Those were his own thoughts as well. He leaned back against the wall as he continued trying to figure out how they could use all the information Jin had divulged so far. But, as he was thinking, the door to the command center hissed open and several students all rushed in at once.

"It seems like Andy and MIX haven't made it here yet," Amata said as he looked around the room.

Mikono followed after him closely, looking a little concerned about breaking into the command room. Her pet, Shu-Shu, a sort of puffball with rabbit ears (supposedly a cat) was balanced on her shoulder and hissing at Amata.

"Who cares?" Zessica said, "We just need to access the cameras to find where they're keeping Jin, right?"

Because of the way the command room was set up, it seemed that they had not noticed Headmistress Crea, the Supreme Commander, or Jin just yet. And because of how quickly they had rushed into the room, they had completely missed seeing Donar or Suomi behind them.

A shy voice said, "Um, Mikono-san, Amata-san. You should probably turn around." Yunoha appeared for a split second before disappearing again.

Mikono's sleeve moved about a little as if an invisible hand was tugging at it. All three of the intruders turned about at the same time.

"Whoa!" Amata jumped back and then flailed about as his wings activated and he was sent three feet into the air.

"Suomi-sensei! Donar-sensei!" the two girls said simultaneously. Jessica gave a weak laugh and then added, "Um…we can explain…"

Suomi opened her mouth to reprimand them but before they could be scolded, a sound drew their attention to the ceiling. A large circular hole had opened up there and a boy wearing a navy blue jacket and beanie jumped down, landing directly in front of Donar with his back facing towards him.

"Andy W. Hol has done it again," he declared proudly, "Hey come on down MIX!" Looking about at his friends, the boy said, "Darn it, I thought I could beat you guys to it."

The three just looked at him like he was insane. Donar had a predatory grin on his face as he cracked his knuckles and then spun his mechanical hands like a drill. The boy turned around slowly when he heard the whirling sound, his happy-go-lucky smile transforming into a look of horror as his teacher appeared before him.

"Andy…" Donar began in a dangerous voice, "Did you just dig a hole through the ceiling of the command center?"

Andy laughed nervously, "I'm sure that MIX can fix it up, right MIX?"

There was no answer besides the ceiling sealing itself up, good as new.

"Hey MIX! Don't just leave us in here! Help us explain," Andy shouted at the ceiling.

While he was distracted, Donar gave the boy a spinning noogie with his metallic hands. When he was satisfied with the amount of discipline given, he turned to the rest of the group of students. Yunoha had reappeared when it became apparent that the two instructors weren't too angry with them.

"So, what's this all about?" Donar demanded.

"Um, well," Yunoha said shyly, turning translucent, "It's actually my fault. You see, I was worried because Jin-kun had vanished when I woke up so I started looking for him."

"And then she ran into us as we were checking out of the sick room," Zessica continued, "so we offered to help. We figured that it would save some time if we just checked the security cameras…and…well…you know."

"You needn't worry," Headmistress Crea stated plainly, strolling over to see what the commotion was about, "Jin Muso is fine. We just had something to discuss with him. Please head on back to class."

Jin followed her, walking next to Supreme Commander Fudo. It seemed that the interrogation was over for now.

"Jin-kun!" Yunoha shouted in joy as she ran and hugged him about the waist. For a girl as shy as her, it was a bold move indeed.

Suomi-sensei cleared her throat, "That's enough of that sort of behavior you two. Got that Jin-kun? You're a student at Neo-DEAVA now and that means that boy-girl interactions of the romantic sort are forbidden."

Jin Muso nodded, but didn't really seem to be listening as he returned Yunoha's embrace. To further show that he wasn't paying attention to Suomi-sensei's mini-lecture, he and Yunoha were gently holding hands as they exited the room with their friends.

Donar caught Andy before he could blend in with the group. "Hold it right there Andy," he said, "You're not going to class today."

"I'm…I'm not?" he asked fearfully. Clearly he thought he was going to be punished in some way or form.

"I need you and MIX on the school grounds. Between using your power to find structural weaknesses and hers to fill them in, we can prevent any dangerous collapses now that we have enough light to see by," Donar explained. As he talked, Andy's expression softened, realizing that he was out of trouble and about to be assigned to a task along with the girl he liked. Really, the boy was so predictable sometimes.

"Anything else, instructor?" Andy asked.

"We'll probably need you later to dig out collapsed sections and look for survivors that may be trapped, but the first priority right now is to prevent further damage from injuring more students," Donar added, "I hate to be cruel about it, but we don't have the resources to do both at the same time so if anyone is trapped, they'll have to fend for themselves for a few more hours."

As Andy left, Donar turned his attention to the Headmistress. "Are you sure that this is the right thing to do?"

"Not really," Crea admitted, "but the boy has done enough that he deserves to have some measure of trust returned to him."

"I don't know," Donar said cautiously, "What if this Izumo person finds out that communications are blocked and decides to try to 'rescue' his subordinate?"

"Fearing the past may be wise," Supreme Commander Fudo said, "but fearing the future is a fool's errand."

As the Supreme Commander disappeared into the hallway with ninja-like skill, he left behind three very puzzled individuals.

"Did the Supreme Commander just say something that actually made sense?" Suomi-sensei asked incredulously.

"Someone should run after him and check if he's an imposter," Crea said, looking just as startled as Donar felt.

* * *

*Notes: The first two chapters became a bit more Jin-centric than I was planning on, but with how the premise of this story is a divergence starting from Episode 13, I guess there was no way around it. I'll try to give a bit more focus on the other characters in the next chapters, especially the Andy/MIX dynamic which allows for both comedy and drama. Hoping to make Amata less of an extreme doormat as well, but planning out how that's going to work is going to take some time. With this, I'll leave you with the working title for Ch.3 for now which, assuming you've seen the show, will be a major clue as to what will go on.

**Chapter 3- Beyond the Grave**


	2. Chapter 3: Beyond the Grave

**Chapter 3- Beyond the Grave**

Debris removal and rescue efforts ended up taking an additional three days. When the dust had finally settled, the true scale of that night's attack came to light. 18 students killed by falling rubble, 3 more critically injured and requiring intensive care, and 5 with minor physical injuries but suffering from deep mental trauma. Considering the number of students in the courtyard when the attack began, it was nothing short of a miracle that there were not more casualties.

A quiet funeral service was held in the academy chapel the day after. It was a solemn affair, everyone dressed in black except for the Supreme Commander who never seemed to wear anything but that fancy red suit. Still, even the bright colors on his outfit seemed muted today. The coffins were laid out before the altar, half-open, with the golden statue of the Legendary Aquarion rising up behind them as if it were going to carry them to their final resting place.

After the service, the students were given three hours leave before they would be moving the coffins over to the graveyard at the edge of the city by boat. Most chose to spend time with those they cared about. Amata noticed Jin-kun talking quietly with Yunoha-san as they left and he was certain that Andy and MIX had gone off somewhere together. He had considered looking for Mikono-san, but instead chose to walk around the school grounds for a bit alone first.

A number of students had already left the academy; no one blamed them for going. Now that the academy itself could become a battleground at any time, it was no longer a safe haven. The majority of the students leaving had been female, likely because of the revelation that the Abductors were after female Element-users. The packed bags cluttering the hallways were a depressing sight; he had come to know many of the students and, even if they weren't close friends, Amata still considered them important. He had never thought that one day, he would be amongst people who didn't ostracize him because of his power.

Leaving was never a choice for Amata since he had no home to go back to. He had heard that the city he had lived in before coming to Neo-DEAVA was evacuated shortly after the Abductor attack. For better or for worse, Neo-DEAVA was his home now and his friends were his family. Kagura will pay for hurting them, Amata vowed to himself.

Thinking about that wild red-haired youth, Amata couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy. Mikono-san was obviously attracted to him in some way and, if the obsessive behavior Kagura had shown the night of the attack was any indication, the feeling was mutual. Amata shook his head to clear his thoughts. Best not mull over that right now.

Amata found himself wandering about, past the stairs where Mikono had seen Zessica and him running in a panic and misunderstood, past the Berlin which they had broken through in one of their earliest battles, past the hole that Andy had dug (now filled) which had come up right under Mikono-san's skir—Amata slapped himself lightly, it seemed that _everything_ at this academy reminded him of her: he had to find someplace else or he'd never be able to relax.

He was sitting in the lower branches of a tree, staring at some clouds idly when a voice called to him from below.

"Hey Amata," Zessica said softly, "You look a bit dazed. Are you alright?"

"Zessica-san—" He climbed down to the ground, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking a little about the night of the attack and what will happen to us now."

Zessica frowned slightly; it was odd to see the typically cheerful green-haired girl be so moody. She looked at Amata resolutely, "I need to tell you something. About the man we fought that day."

That caught Amata's interest immediately, "Do you know something about him?"

She nodded, looking a bit sad for some reason, "Yes—I'm not sure how to put this and still be considerate but—"

Whatever it was sounded important, but Supreme Commander Fudo chose that particular moment to interrupt with an announcement that could be heard throughout the entire school. "Time's up," he declared, "all students gather in the chapel."

Zessica took the opportunity to start walking off without finishing what she was going to say. Almost in desperation, Amata caught her by the hand and stopped her.

"Wait, Zessica-san," he pleaded, "what did you want to say?"

She pulled free of his grip gently, looking regretful. "No, I need some time. Telling you right now would only be cruel since I'm still confused with everything that's just gone on. I don't want to see you hurt, Amata. Please, just forget I said anything for now. I'll tell you when I'm ready." She turned away from him, murmuring, "We should get going."

Amata just stood there watching her go. If only the Supreme Commander had waited one more minute before announcing the departure… When Zessica finally disappeared into the main building of Neo-DEAVA, Amata began to head for the chapel. He had waited until she was gone because if he had gone down with her, he doubted very much that he would have been able to stop himself from asking her every step of the way; he respected Zessica too much as a friend to do that to her after she had requested some time to gather her own thoughts.

* * *

The students who had died during the attack were all buried in the same part of the cemetery; a large plot that was owned by Neo-DEAVA. They were each given a brief eulogy by the Headmistress. Shrade played a slow, mournful dirge on the violin as the coffins were finally laid to rest. Amata tried to look stoic, but he felt tears building in his eyes. Several students were outright sobbing, both because of the sadness that accompanied seeing friends go forever and because the tune Shrade performed tugged not so much at one's heart but at one's very soul.

If they thought the funeral was the only purpose of this trip, however, the students who remained were in for a surprise.

"Every Element-user who has piloted the Aquarion before, stay behind," Headmistress Crea announced, "the rest of you may head back on the ferry for now."

The majority of the crowd left, leaving just Amata, Shrade, Zessica, Mikono, Yunoha, Cayenne, MIX, Jin, Malloy, and Sazanka behind.

"When did you two pilot the Aquarion?" Amata asked Malloy, indicating Sazanka with his chin.

"Practice bout while the most of the underclassmen were in class," Malloy said in a matter-of-fact tone, "and by the way, she fights dirty."

The group of students followed Headmistress Crea and Supreme Commander Fudo to another section of the cemetery where they found Andy digging what looked to be more graves under the supervision of Instructor Dantes.

"Thank you for your hard work, Andy," the Headmistress said.

Andy wiped away the sweat from his face with the back of his glove and sat down on the ground. He looked exhausted and no wonder: he had been working non-stop clearing away rubble on the school grounds the past few days.

"So, will you tell me what's going on now?" he said, sounding drained.

Supreme Commander Fudo walked in front of everyone and then shot them his trademark grin. "Right. As you are aware, the fights with Altair are going to get tougher from this point on. So, in order to meet them on equal terms, we are going to bury you all here."

Every single person who heard his words, with the exception of Headmistress Crea who seemed used to the Fudo Zen method of insanity, stared back at him, utterly flabbergasted. Even Instructor Dantes and Suomi-sensei were speechless, although Suomi-sensei's mouth was working up and down as if she were trying to get some words out.

Cayenne was the first to recover, "I'm sorry Commander, but did you just say—you are going to bury us here?"

"Did I stutter?" the Supreme Commander asked in a low baritone, "All of you have faced death before, but none of you have yet to experience it." He flourished a rose devoid of petals in his left hand, "Only by experiencing death can you truly know what it means to live and only through knowing what it means to live…" A second flourish seemed to, impossible as that sounded, reverse time and add petals back to the rose, "can you hope to live on."

"I'm all for being in a hole," Andy piped up, "but how is that going to help us 'experience death?'"

MIX shot him a very disapproving glare. Andy's lack of tact, especially with innuendo, clashed horribly with her straight-laced behavior. Despite that, Amata thought the two made a great pair, with how the two of them completed each other so perfectly.

"That," the Supreme Commander declared, "is not something that can be explained. Now, if you will, everyone pick a hole. This is your 'Training of the Grave.'"

No one made a move for any of the holes, not even Andy. They probably would have stood there for hours if Shrade didn't shrug off his jacket and climb into the nearest grave.

"This sounds interesting," he said coyly. "Since my actual death will probably occur soon, I might as well get in a dress rehearsal."

Jin was the second to hop into a grave. He gave Yunoha a reassuring smile and said, "The Supreme Commander trusted me. It is only right that I trust him in this, especially if it gives me the power to protect you."

One by one, they all followed Shrade's example, even MIX, who had had a deep hatred of holes before becoming closer with Andy. In the end, only Amata and Mikono were left standing outside. Amata was surprised to see that she had an expression of rage and frustration on her face: it was unlike the sweet girl he had come to know.

"You're terrible!" she shouted at the Supreme Commander, "Didn't enough people already die? And here you are making a mockery of their sacrifice. I hate it. Especially that smug expression on your face, always acting as if you know something none of us do. Well, I refuse to do what you're asking. I supposed you knew that would happen as well?"

Amata didn't know what to do. He had never seen Mikono pour out her emotions like that before; she certainly had gotten better at expressing her thoughts since entering Neo-DEAVA. To his credit, Supreme Commander Fudo's expression never once changed during the whole tirade.

"I had always planned on you being the exception, Suzushiro Mikono," he stated. "You do not need to participate." Then, in a blur of motion, he vanished from Amata's sight. The next second, Amata found himself picked up by the collar and hurled into a grave, "You however, young man, have no such free pass."

The instructors passed each student a hollow bamboo tube through which they could breathe before shoveling dirt back into each hole. As the darkness closed in around him, Amata could hear the Supreme Commander's parting words.

"Your senses will begin to die. First your sight, then your sense of hearing. Taste and smell will soon follow and finally, as the earth's embrace invites you home, your sense of touch will disappear. You will die in everything but truth, becoming one with the infinite void, your very existence brought into question. Tell me, are you afraid? That too, will vanish into oblivion."

Amata could picture Mikono-san standing outside, looking at the raised patches of earth where her friends now lay buried. The image faded out quickly, replaced by pitch blackness. The dirt around him felt cold at first, but as Fudo Zen had said, that too, faded away soon enough. He felt like he was falling in place and tried to flail about. He couldn't move. The bamboo tube he was breathing through was the only connection he had to the outside world. After a few more minutes, Amata wasn't even sure if the tube was still there, or if he was still breathing. Panic set in, but even that faded away into nothingness with time.

* * *

"Can you hear them?" Commander Fudo asked, spreading his hands to his side, palms facing upwards as if he were preaching, "The voices of the lost souls buried here."

Mikono continued to glare at him, her face feeling stiff from conforming to a position that she rarely used. She had felt a sense of desperation in the air at first, but now all that she could sense from the mounds that indicated where her friends were buried was…emptiness.

"When you feel the cries of their souls calling out, Suzushiro Mikono, you will know what must be done. Until then, you're free to feel as useless as you like," the Supreme Commander noted without changing that unchanging grin.

"I'm not useless anymore," Mikono refuted angrily, "meeting everyone is helping me change from who I was. Compared to you I might be powerless, but you're just needlessly cruel. I'll bet you love this—lording over everyone, never telling us what's going on."

Supreme Commander Fudo let out a short laugh, "Spirit like that will get you far. But if you're facing the wrong direction to begin with, going far doesn't matter, now does it? Pay attention, it won't be long now."

Mikono turned away from the Supreme Commander. She kept clenching and unclenching her hands; she was near the edge of her patience with the man. Although they were on the same side, she couldn't help but feel that they were old enemies, in a past life. Because her thoughts were preoccupied with Commander Fudo, she almost missed the moment he had warned her about.

All at once, she felt a burst of emotions from beneath the earth where her friends lay. It was glorious, as if life had suddenly appeared where there had only been emptiness. Regrets, desires, hopes, confusion, love, hate; emotions from every part of the spectrum blended together, resonating. Mikono couldn't help it; she felt herself reaching out to touch that wonderful creation and as she did, she found her consciousness stretched between all of those who remained buried. She felt Amata's painfully shy love for her, her brother's caring heart beneath his façade of coldness, Zessica's pain. All of those became as much a part of her as it was part of the origin of those feelings. It was very much the same as the sensation when one did a Union. Mikono closed her eyes in rapture. A muted glow filled the cemetery.

When she finally opened her eyes, all of her friends were standing above their "graves." They looked about incredulously, stunned by the sudden return of all their senses after the burial robbed them of those. Mikono could feel the last remnants of the linking fading away now.

"I feel, a lot stronger," Andy said in an amazed tone.

"Really?" asked Amata, "I don't really feel any different."

They didn't have any time to discuss the effects of the training because at that moment, a familiar voice said in a half growl, "I've come for you…Silvie…my smelly wench."

Everyone in the cemetery turned their heads with the exception of the Supreme Commander who just stood there as if he had expected to see the beast-like pilot from Altair, Kagura, rising up out of the ground. Cayenne quickly moved in front of Mikono protectively.

"Kagura!" Jin exclaimed, moving to put himself between the newcomer and Yunoha. He raised his hand as if he were going to shield her.

"Ho, Jin," Kagura remarked, "still alive I see. And what's this? Found a woman of your own?"

Yunoha flinched back out of instinct; Kagura was exuding an intensely malicious aura and when he focused on her, so did the aura.

Donar backed up towards the nearest students. "Malloy, Sazanka, you two take Mikono and get out of here." He tossed a set of car keys to the Malloy.

Malloy snatched the keyring out of the air. "Let's go," he said urgently, pulling Mikono behind him.

Mikono wanted to stay, though she couldn't say why. She didn't want to leave her friends to face that man alone. Her thoughts became confused beyond that. Did she want to make sure they didn't hurt Kagura or was it because she didn't want them to be hurt by him? Why did she feel such a draw towards that man? It made no sense; he'd attacked her friends, killed many people over the course of several sojourns from Altair, and threatened her. She wanted to find out—but Malloy pulled her into the car and started the engine, barely waiting for Sazanka to get in before gunning the accelerator. As they sped away, Mikono saw her brother charging at Kagura.

They sped onto the main road, swerving around each curve in the road. Malloy didn't slow down at all, and the speedometer quickly reached 140 km an hour. Mikono suspected that the only reason they weren't going faster was because it would have made it impossible to stay on the road.

"You're not half-bad at driving," Sazanka exclaimed in praise, "Where'd you learn to drive like this?"

Focusing mostly on the road before him, Malloy replied absentmindedly, "At the arcade."

A long pause followed. "What?" he asked, "I gave you a legitimate answer."

There was a slightly longer pause after that before Mikono found the nerve to ask, "Um, Malloy-san, you _do_ have a license, don't you?"

"Er, no," he admitted. "But if they let me pilot a Vector and a giant robot that's armed to the teeth, I should be allowed to drive a car, right? They're pretty much the same thing."

Sazanka's face paled a few shades. In an effort to change the subject she asked, "Why do you think that man's after you, Mikono?"

"Judging by how every other sentence he says is about her being a 'smelly wench' I'd say it's probably not for a good reason. 'I'm going to kill you' is pretty unambiguous as well," Malloy remarked.

"I don't know," Sazanka said, "he seems pretty into you Mikono. Maybe he's one of those yandere types. That would be sooo romantic, him and Amata-kun fighting over…or better yet, he and Amata-kun…" Sazanka never quite got to finish her sentence, but between the faint blushing, the hands cupping her face in embarrassment, and the thin trail of drool running down to her chin, Mikono figured that not hearing the rest of it was probably a _very_ good thing.

"Heads up, we've got company," Malloy called to the passengers in the back seat.

Two glowing red eyes had just appeared on the road behind them. Moving with inhuman speed, Kagura was slowly gaining on them, running on all fours. It might have been a trick of the light or her fear bringing out the worst of her imagination, but Mikono could have sworn he occasionally turned into a large black wolf-like creature and back again.

"What the hell," Malloy protested, "This guy's breaking the laws of physics or something. No way a human can outrun a car. I've got the pedal all the way down."

"You can make a building collapse with your mind and you're complaining about the laws of physics?" Sazanka asked incredulously.

"Right—I don't suppose either of you are any good with a gun? There's a case with a pistol in the back."

The two girls both replied that they didn't; physical education on the girls' side was not much different than in any high school while the boys were essentially thrown into boot camp. The girls never really complained about the difference, considering how harsh Instructor Dantes was with the boys, but in retrospect, target practice would have been a very good thing to have.

The pistol would have been useless anyways, because a moment later, the three found the car screeching to a halt before being flung backwards as fast as they had been going forwards a second earlier. The sudden change in momentum caused Mikono's vision to go black and before the car even slammed into the guardrail, the three occupants of the vehicle were already unconscious.

* * *

"We need to go after them!" Amata shouted at the Supreme Commander, "That guy is clearly insane!"

Zessica tried to contain a surge of jealousy. She was half-hoping that Kagura would catch up to Mikono and take her away and she hated herself for feeling that way. Why couldn't she have fallen in love with someone who wasn't as single-mindedly devoted and kind as Amata? But those traits of his were exactly what she liked most about him. He was innocently naïve about how things worked, but he always tried hard and was always genuine.

"You're never going to catch them on foot," Instructor Dantes stated calmly.

"Who says anything about being on foot?" Amata argued back, "I can catch up to them with my wings."

"And then what?" Instructor Dantes shouted, finally losing his patience. "You catch up to Kagura by yourself. What do you think you can do alone? Did you forget that he almost _killed_ you the other day? Do you think that Mikono will be happy if you got yourself killed for her sake? This isn't some fairytale where there's a happy ending for everyone. Get a hold of yourself!"

Amata opened his mouth to argue, but realized that there was nothing he could say in the face of that logic. He clenched his fists and stared hard at the ground, shaking with anger and frustration. Instructor Dantes pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Yes? How much time until the choppers get here?"Instructor Dantes' face turned pale, "No—that can't be. Not now of all times…"

He hung up the phone and turned to face everyone who was left.

"We have a bit of a situation," he stated, sounding very grim. "Another dimension gate has opened."

"Did they take Mikono-san through it?" Amata asked, nearly jumping up.

"No, it seems that it's an Abductor attack," Instructor Dantes replied, "We need to get back to the command center at once so that I can get a visual."

"I'm not leaving Mikono-san behind," Amata said resolutely, staring the instructor down. "I'm not going to let them take her away."

"I can access the command center's computer from here," Jin said softly. Everyone turned to face him all at once. He shied back a step and lowered his head, causing his hair to hide his eyes. He finished in an almost whisper, "That is, if it would help…"

"And just how can you do that?" Instructor Dantes asked.

"I was infiltrating Neo-DEAVA, remember? I've already hacked into the mainframe so—" Jin said, trailing off as Instructor Dantes' expression grew darker and darker.

Yunoha touched him gently on the arm. "We believe in you, Jin-kun. We trust you now, it's ok. We're your friends, remember?"

The look on Instructor Dantes' face said that he considered the boy anything but a friend, but nonetheless, Yunoha's words seemed to instill Jin with courage. Looking more resolved than before, he pressed a few buttons on his communication device and several projected screens appeared in the air before him.

"Let's see—this is the main monitor and in order to access the dimension gate tracker, I need to press this…"

All of the images except for one disappeared. The last picture expanded until it was the size of a laptop screen. Everyone crowded behind Jin, eager to get a glimpse of their foe. There were a total of three enemy crafts; for the moment, they did not seem to be moving, hovering directly under the dimension gate. The largest one in the middle, obviously the leader, was a white machine that could best be described as imperial. It appeared to be wearing a crown around the head. Three folded blades wrapped around each arms, giving it the appearance of wearing a mantle. Everything about the machine exuded a sense of being in control.

"That's—Commander Izumo's personal unit," Jin gasped. "I've seen it before but I've never heard of him ever piloting that machine."

"Do you think he's here to be diplomatic?" Headmistress Crea asked, "or can we expect a fight?"

Jin frowned, looking over the data that was displayed on his screen. "It looks like the gate opened several miles away from the city," he concluded. "If it was an attack, they probably would have opened it right above the academy. Though, it's probably smarter to meet them in the Machine Ang- the Aquarion, as a precaution."

Headmistress Crea nodded, "Very well, we'll split you up into two groups. Since Amata will be too distracted to do any good in the Aquarion this time around, he'll be part of the search party along with Zessica, Andy, Mix, and Shrade. Since you know this Commander Izumo personally, Jin, you'll be in the Aquarion along with Cayenne and Yunoha. Cayenne will be the head since he is the senior Neo-DEAVA representative."

Three helicopters landed not a minute after Crea had finished giving out the assignments. The search and rescue team boarded the first copter, which took off towards the city following the main road. Zessica watched Amata during the whole flight; he was staring out the window intensely, almost as if he were afraid that if he so much as blinked, Kagura would carry Mikono off to Altair in that split second.

_I need to tell him about Apollon and Silvie_, Zessica thought to herself, _before he's hurt even more by Mikono. It's just not _right_ for her to do that to him, not when he's been so kind to her._ She worked out a plan to separate him from the rest of the search party so she could explain to him what she had seen in that vision of Apollon and Sylvie.

A nasty voice in her head accused her of trying to force a wedge between Mikono and Amata. Zessica tuned it out; she dearly hoped she was doing the right thing for the right reasons.

* * *

*Notes- Got done with this chapter a bit quicker than I thought since I had some free time and it was half-done when I uploaded the first chapters. I personally found Malloy to be kind of a goofy character in the anime so I tried to write him to be a bit on the ridiculous side here. As for the other characters, I think I've given Amata enough angsting time; he's filled his quota of that for a few chapters. And, as much as I feel for Zessica and the crap she goes through within the canon, I feel that I can't change her character too quickly here without completely derailing who she is. Events are going to get more original from now on as the butterfly-effect screws with canon. That's enough of review, now for the preview: I'll leave you all with the title of Chapter 4.

**Chapter 4- Leap of Faith**


	3. Chapter 4: Leap of Faith

**Chapter 4- Leap of Faith**

The command center was a chaotic scene of activity from the moment everyone exited the helicopters. The first order of business was establishing contact with the search team while simultaneously preparing the Vectors for launch. For Jin Muso, who had never been in the room during an operation, it was an extraordinary sight.

"Contact established," one technician called out. "It seems the ground team has split into three groups to cover more ground. Separate communication channels are open with each of them."

Over on the other side, another technician shouted that the Vectors were charged, warmed up, and ready to sortie. Jin made a move for the vehicle bay before Cayenne stopped him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. As the first person to suspect him of ulterior motives, the soldier-in-training was slow to trust Jin.

"To board a Vector," Jin replied honestly.

"Sit down in one of the teleporters," he said, pointing towards a set of seats on one side of the room. "According to procedure, we only do manual entry if the power's out."

Jin complied, picking the seat across from Yunoha. She gave him a small smile before turning invisible with a shy "Shhuuuun". Although Jin had no idea why she behaved like that at times, he thought that it was very endearing.

He felt his hands shaking from nervousness and excitement as the techs ran the final checks on the Vectors. His first approved mission as a member of Neo-DEAVA; it reminded Jin of the first time he had been given a mission on Altair. The same feeling of butterflies in the stomach coupled with burning determination filled him now.

As the technicians activated the teleporters, Jin felt himself go weightless for a brief moment before being dropped into the familiar scene of a Vector cockpit. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and gripped the controls firmly.

"Vector X, launching," Cayenne's voice called over the intercom.

Yunoha went next and a moment later, Jin found himself flung into the seat as his own machine was propelled forwards and out of the vehicle bay.

"We'll Union as soon as the enemies come into sight," Cayenne declared.

Jin frowned, "We don't know for sure that they're enemies yet. Isn't that a bit on the negative side?"

"Fine—We'll Union once the units from Altair come into sight," the older boy corrected. "In the meantime, try contacting Commander Izumo again."

Jin fiddled with his communicator, trying to lock on to the frequency that the Altair military typically used. It was no use, nothing but static. Jin wasn't surprised; he had already tried the entire flight back from the graveyard with the same effect.

"No good," he said, shaking his head, "We'll just have to try reasoning with them once we're there."

"Once we're there" ended up taking another 30 seconds of flight. It seemed as if none of the units from Altair had budged an inch since they were first discovered. Once the Vectors were spotted however, the two flanking machines pointed their weapons at them, tracking the movement of the vehicles but not firing just yet.

"Let's go!" Cayenne shouted, "Diplomatic Union! Go Aquarion!"

Like on the night of the attack on the Academy, Jin was nearly overwhelmed by the ecstasy and bliss that accompanied the Union. It just felt too good to be reality and he marveled at how it felt like his soul and Yunoha's were merging with one another; such a kind, warm, caring feeling that Jin had never experienced before coming to Vega.

Cayenne trained the dual guns of the Gepard on the two guard units that accompanied Commander Izumo's Ahura Gnis.

"Alright," he said in a serious voice, "if there's going to be any diplomacy, let's get on with it."

It didn't take long for Commander Izumo to respond. He established communications with Neo-DEAVA almost as soon as the Union had occurred. Jin wondered how the leader of the Altair forces managed to do so that easily but then remembered that he had included information about Neo-DEAVA's usual communication channels in one of his earliest reports to Altair. A split screen showed up on the HUD of Jin's cockpit. It seemed as if Commander Izumo had opened a direct channel to the command center rather than to the Aquarion.

"I am Kamurogi Izumo, leader of the Altair expeditionary force to Vega," he declared, "Are you the leader of the forces from Vega?"

Headmistress Crea nodded, "I am Crea Drosera, the Chair of Neo-DEAVA."

Commander Izumo paused briefly; he had obviously thought that Supreme Commander Fudo, who was standing behind the Headmistress' chair, would be the one to answer him.

"As you can see," Commander Izumo stated, "We have given you the time to meet us with your Machine Angel so that we might be on equal ground."

"State your demands," the Headmistress said, "but know that we have ones of our own."

Commander Izumo nodded, "Very well. Our first requirement is that you send a Rare Igura, a female with special powers, to Altair to become our 'True Eve.'"

"I cannot comply with that demand," Crea answered swiftly, "Even taking into account that means betraying the expectations of our students, there is no saying whether or not the person we hand over would be the one that could become this 'True Eve.' The risks of your 'Curse of Eve' makes it even less of an option."

"I see you have some knowledge of the situation on my home-world," Commander Izumo noted, "Which means that you extracted that information from Jin."

He pointed a finger at the screen. "That brings me to my second demand and the main reason why I am here. You will release my subordinate, Jin Muso, at once if you have him prisoner and if not, you _will_ tell me his location."

Was it Jin's imagination, or did the smirk on Supreme Commander Fudo's face actually widen? Crea turned to face him, but the enigmatic man continued to look smugly at Supreme Commander Izumo.

Commander Izumo's eyes widen in surprise. "Jin," he said, "Mykage did tell me that you've joined with them, but I thought it was another of his half-truths. So it's true then. You've betrayed Altair."

It seems that the command center had finally linked the Commander's transmission to the Aquarion. Jin looked back at his former superior resolutely. This wasn't something that he could avoid.

"Commander Izumo—," he began.

"It seems I'm not your Commander anymore, boy," the leader of the Altair forces interrupted. He had returned to his normal stoic expression, but Jin could feel the indignant rage tainting his speech.

"Listen to me," Jin pleaded. "These people don't need to be your—our enemies. I'm sure that if we work together, we can find a way to save Altair. Together."

If anything, the expression on his former superior's face hardened even more. "Working together? We don't have the time for that now," he said, misleadingly calm. "You would know if you had bothered to contact us, but the pace that Altair has been dying at has been accelerating. The Ianthe is near its limits, Jin. _Altair_ is near its limits. Did you forget your home-world, Jin? Why did you do it? For what did you betray our cause?"

"I _did_ try to contact you," Jin protested. "And I've never once forgotten about Altair. I've just decided that it's best if we tried to work _with_ the people of Vega instead of—."

Commander Izumo cut him off, "Betrayal is betrayal Jin. There is no use making excuses or trying to pretty up your deeds with words. Now answer me. Why?"

Jin glanced over to the screen that linked into Yunoha's Vector. He felt his face heating up; would he be able to say the words? He decided he had to.

"I know that what I've done might be wrong," he began. "But here on Vega, I've found people that accepted me even knowing who I am. I will always be grateful to the people of Altair. Commander, don't mistake that. But the ones I met here, my friends, showed me something that I never even realized I was missing back on Altair. They showed me the mistake I was making in isolating myself from others. And—"

Jin paused; it was now or never.

"And it was here that I met someone who's special to me. Someone who stood by me and trusted in me from the start. Someone who, even after she found out about my connection to Altair, chose to stay with me. I'm still not very good at expressing my feelings, but I think that—no, I _know _that I would be willing to do anything to protect her. Because I love her."

He looked away from Commander Izumo and faced Yunoha, who had begun to blush furiously. She met his eyes and, for once, did not vanish or even turn translucent.

"I love you, Yunoha. Although we may only have had a short time together, I feel connected to you and I want to be with you for as long as you will allow me to."

The HUD in Jin's Vector read a massive spike in energy within the Gepard. Although Yunoha gave no answer, the reaction from the Aquarion told Jin everything he wanted in a way more effective than words.

"So, you betrayed your home-world out of love," Commader Izumo said in response. He looked grim, as if he had come to a difficult decision. "Very well. Last Son of Altair, I hereby acknowledge you as an enemy."

The mantle of the Ahura Gnis spread out like wings.

"Let me test the strength of your love against my determination and the might of Altair!"

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Zessica-san?" Amata asked.

The two of them were stopped on a bridge overlooking part of Neo Kowloon. The city lights below them lit up the streets almost as bright as day. If Kagura passed through the area, they would know immediately.

"It's about what I tried to tell you before the funeral," Zessica answered. "About Kagura. I know you'll probably reject what I'm going to say because it's not something you want to hear, but you need to know."

She took a deep breath, moving next to Amata and looking at the lights of the city.

"I think you should give up on Mikono."

"What?" Amata exclaimed. He couldn't believe that Zessica would even consider abandoning a friend.

"No—that came out wrong. Gah! Why's this so difficult?" Zessica moaned. "I think what I mean is, Mikono and that guy are destined to be together. Because Mikono is Sylvie and Kagura is— So you're going to be hurt by her if you go on."

"I can't believe that," Amata declared firmly after a moment, "'The Skies of Aquaria' is just a legend from 12,000 years ago."

Zessica looked at him firmly, "The Aquarion is real. Why not the story behind it as well?"

Amata thought about it for a minute. "Where did you find out about this Zessica-san?"

"I had a vision of it," she answered. "It felt almost like that vision we shared when we first piloted the Aquarion along with Cayenne."

Amata couldn't find a response, she sounded so certain that what she had seen was real, so he stayed quiet. Even _if_ Mikono and that man were destined to be together, Kagura's words were unsettlingly threatening. He couldn't leave Mikono to him even if he didn't feel drawn to her.

He considered what was it about Mikono that he liked so much. She was the first person to acknowledge him, the first to trust him; she had many faults, that was true, but she also worked hard to compensate for them.

Finally, he said, "Even _if_ fate says this must come to past and even _if_ the two of them are Silvie and Apollon from the stories, I need to rescue her from him. Did you forget, Zessica-san? He's the one responsible for killing all those students at the academy."

"No, I haven't forgotten about that," Zessica answered sadly. "But if those two are destined, I can't help but feel that you'd be hurt by it. And that would make me—"

The phone in Amata's pocket rang, causing the two to jump in shock. Amata picked up the call after fumbling in his pockets for the device. It was from Andy. He turned on the speakerphone so that Zessica could hear as well.

"Hey Amata, I have news about Mikono's whereabouts," Andy announced.

"Did you find out exactly where they are?" Amata asked, a little too quickly.

"Yeah, they were spotted by the new tower being built in the downtown area," Andy answered, "I found out from this really hot—Owowow, MIX, what the hell? Can't a guy make an observation? Cut that ou- You know you're the only one I—"

Amata hung up the call. He had heard everything he needed to. They were actually very close to the building Andy had described. He looked to Zessica, who looked sad but resolute.

"I'm going on ahead. You'll back me up once you catch up, right?" Amata asked, activating his power.

Zessica nodded, "You know I will, you big idiot." The way she delivered that last part sounded like the old Zessica, the one that would playfully flirt just to make him float.

It didn't take long at all to get there. It also didn't take long to find Kagura and Mikono, both of whom had seen him coming from a distance.

"The man with no scent," Kagura growled, placing himself between Amata and Mikono as if _Amata_ were the one Mikono needed protection against. "Stay away from my Silvie."

Amata glared at him, "She's not yours. She's her own person."

The red-haired youth grinned wolfishly at him, "Then why not let her make her own choice?"

"Because you threatened to kill her. And because you're the one responsible for all the deaths at Neo-DEAVA."

"So I did, and so I was," Kagura answered without a hint of remorse, "And I _will_ kill her. Over and over and over, my wench. For the sake of my 12,000 year old fate and because it's what _I_ want to do. I won't let you get in my way."

That was enough for Amata; he flew straight at the Kagura, intending to tackle him off the side of the building. He found himself flung backwards into a pile of girders. He picked himself up and charged at him on foot. Kagura let him get close before delivering a kick to his stomach.

Amata doubled over in pain, but a second later, sprung up and delivered an uppercut to Kagura's jaw. The other boy reeled back in surprise. Amata chased after, intending to press his advantage.

"Reverse," Kagura declared angrily, and once again, Amata was thrown back, tumbling head over heels for a good 15 feet before skidding to a halt. Amata caught a glimpse of Mikono's face as he rolled; she looked horribly conflicted about what she should be doing. _Run away_, he thought desperately, trying to reach her,_ I'm trying to buy you time here…_

Amata got to his feet again, but this time, Kagura leapt at him, forcing him to dodge to the side. Amata aimed a kick at the other boy as he went past, but another iteration of "Reverse" sent Amata twisting in the opposite direction, forcing him off balance and nearly spraining his ankle.

Kagura pressed his advantage, delivering a flurry of blows at Amata's torso and head. It was everything Amata could do to ward off the attacks. Any attempt at a counter was met with "Reverse" and actually made things worse for Amata. One particularly forceful kick to the chest sent Amata into a pile of pipes where he lay prone, trying to recover.

"Amata-kun!" Mikono shouted. While he was happy that she was concerned about him, Amata just wished she would get out of here and go someplace safe already.

Amata groaned and got to his feet. He felt half-dead, similar to how he did during Supreme Commander Fudo's "Training of the Grave." He activated his power; it was the only way he could stand up.

Seeing him do so, Kagura shouted gleefully, "Reverse!"

Amata felt a crushing force pushing him downwards. It was as if gravity had doubled in a millisecond. His vision started going black, dots swimming across his eyes as his sight blurred. Amata took a step forward.

"Reverse!" Kagura shouted again.

The force bearing down on Amata increased again. He took another step forwards. Kagura was only two steps away now.

"Reverse!"

Amata stumbled, but managed to continue on.

"Reverse!" Kagura's voice had a hint of fear in it now.

Amata drew his fist back, struggling against the weight that was pushing him downwards, then threw a punch with all of his weight behind it. He released his power of levitation at the same moment, using Kagura's reversing power to add strength to the force behind his punch. It connected.

Kagura flew back half a dozen steps, stopping only because he collided with a pile of steel beams. Amata fell to one knee, completely drained. Kagura staggered to his feet, looking just as devoid of strength as Amata felt but still as murderous as ever.

"You bastard," he groaned in pain. "I'm going to—"

Before he could complete his sentence, the steel beams behind him warped and wrapped around him like a snake. Kagura fell over in surprise.

"Don't you dare move," Zessica said coldly to the man from Altair. She ran over to Amata and helped him to his feet, putting his arm over her shoulder.

"Zessica—" Amata murmured in gratitude. He was struggling to stay conscious now.

"Rever—"

"I SAID, don't move!" Zessica shouted, and the beams tightened around Kagura, constricting him. He screamed in pain.

"Don't hurt him!" Mikono pleaded as she ran to the red-haired young man.

Amata felt a sharp spike of pain in his heart. She hadn't helped him at all when the two of them were fighting. _Why?_ Was it really because the two of them were destined to be together? Amata felt his knees buckling, but Zessica kept him on his feet for now. She was glaring at both Mikono and Kagura, equally hostile towards both.

"Get out of the way Mikono," she warned. "Amata nearly killed himself for your sake tonight. The man behind you is responsible for the deaths of many of students at the academy. The same deaths that you chewed the Supreme Commander out over during the training. Are you going to be a hypocrite and say that you want to protect the man who murdered all those people?"

Mikono looked startled, turning back and forth to face Kagura and her two friends. "But—" she began to protest.

A joyfully confident voice spoke up into the night air, "Ah love. Isn't it splendid how it twists people about and breaks apart other bonds? Betrayed by love, betrayed for love. A story that stretches back 12,000 years and then 12,000 more beyond that…"

A man in purple and white robes with long, feathery hair appeared in the air between the two groups. This apparition could be none other than the man that Jin called Mykage.

"It looks like you could use my help, Kagura," he gloated. "Trapped like a dog in a cage."

"Shut up!" the youth shouted back, "Stay out of my business, Mykage."

"Let's go back now," Mykage said calmly, ignoring Kagura.

He floated down behind Mikono and, with a sudden gesture, disintegrated the beam holding Kagura in place. The youth quickly ran towards Mikono and picked her up in a bridal carry. A second later, a silvery beam of light came down from the sky to envelop the three.

"Very well, Kagura," Mykage stated, "I'll allow you to bring a guest—for now."

"Mikono-san!" Amata shouted pleadingly. He felt as helpless as he did that night so many years ago when a similar phenomenon took his mother away. This time, however, he chose to walk forwards. However, before he could take a second step, all three had vanished. Only a lingering voice remained.

"We'll meet again, winged boy. Before or after the Wings of the Sun awaken."

As he punched the ground in frustration, the sounds of Mykage's laughter taunted him down to the depths of his soul.

* * *

Yunoha gripped the controls of her Vector firmly, even though as part of the Gepard, they currently weren't operational. Her face still felt flushed after hearing what Jin had said and she hadn't spoken a word to him since his confession. It felt like a dream and she was afraid that if she acknowledged it, she would wake up.

The Gepard was well-matched with the white Abductor. For now, the two guards of the man Jin called Commader Izumo were staying out of the fray. Cayenne tried to keep his distance to take advantage of the Gepard's heavy weaponry, but the enemy just kept guarding against the projectiles with the six blades of its wings, deflecting or blocking the shots. Then, it would charge in and try to close within melee range. With six limbs counting the wings to deal with, Cayenne was having difficulty reacting to these assaults even using his Prophecy of Despair to predict the enemy's movements. Fortunately, Jin was also in the machine to pick up the slack, timing his shields to ward off the blows that Cayenne couldn't avoid.

"We're not getting anywhere fast," Cayenne shouted over the intercom.

The enemy was obviously more experienced than the three young pilots. Although the Gepard had the advantage in terms of speed and power at the moment, they couldn't get past that impenetrable defense.

"I have a plan," Jin said. "But we'll need to find some cover first."

"On it," Cayenne replied. It seemed that he had begun to accept Jin as a comrade in arms after he openly defied his former superior.

A swarm of rockets flew from the shoulders of the Gepard towards the enemy. As expected, it blocked all of them. It retracted its wings just in time to see a final late-coming missile explode in front of it. It wasn't an ordinary missile though; Cayenne had fired a flash-bang.

The Gepard made use of the time it had bought to retreat a fair distance and duck behind a rocky overhang.

"Alright, what's your plan?" Cayenne asked.

"Yunoha, we'll need your help here. And Cayenne, you're going to have to time this right," Jin replied.

Yunoha listened raptly as Jin briefly described their roles. It was a brilliant plan alright, but very risky as well. She trusted him though, and right now, she felt like she could do anything. They agreed to give it a shot.

The Gepard charged from its hiding spot, making a beeline for the Ahura Gnis. It had apparently discarded all of its weaponry in an attempt to lighten the load on the machine. Although it was primarily a ranged unit, the armor on the Gepard was actually stronger than that of the other two forms; without the weight of the weapons, it would easily be faster than the Ahura Gnis, and roughly equivalently armored.

The Ahura Gnis prepared to counter-attack as it was used to doing. Countering at the last second allowed it to deal with the faster foe and the pilot was obviously very skilled at the feat. The Gepard lunged forwards with a fist and the wings of the Ahura closed in to meet it.

The punch never connected. It was never meant to be a punch to begin with. The Gepard's dual long barreled guns reappeared in its hands, one pressed against the left shoulder of the Ahura Gnis and the other at the hip. The wings of the white machine, prepared to block an attack that would have occurred a second later were held to the side by the barrel of one gun.

"Take this!" the three young pilots shouted, "Invisible Trigger!"

The Gepard fired both weapons from point blank range, rounds capable of tearing through tank armor pouring out into the enemy machine. The Ahura Gnis, which had taken no visible damage thus far, shook under the barrage of bullets. If the Commander of Altair was surprised by this stratagem, he certainly did not show it.

The seasoned veteran immediately sent his machine into backwards flight and repositioned his shield wings to block. The Gepard took the opportunity to move back out into a more favorable range.

"Damn," Jin said over the intercom. "I was hoping we'd cripple his machine with that. He won't fall for it again."

The Ahura Gnis had taken significant damage to the left shoulder and leg. But it was still functional. Commander Izumo opened an open communication channel with the occupants of the Gepard.

"I underestimated you, Jin," he noted, "and you as well girl. Your data was amongst the information Jin had sent back, but I took for granted the limits and uses for it."

It sounded like he might give up. Yunoha gave a small sigh of relief.

The six blades of the Ahura Gnis' wings folded together in front of the machine to form a hexagon-shaped barrel.

"I should take you more seriously, as a worthy adversary," the Commander continued.

Red light poured from the dimension gate into the back of the white mech. Izumo's two guards finally made a move, providing covering fire for their leader as he charged his weapon. The Gepard, under heavy fire, was forced to retreat further out of range.

"You will not be able to dodge this. You will not be able to avoid it. The full fury of the world of Altair—," Commander Izumo declared, "Altair…Cannon!"

A thick red beam shot from the barrel of the weapon. Cayenne, using his Prophecy of Despair to its fullest extent, managed to dodge to the side, but the Ahura Gnis simply tracked his movement and the red beam swept across the Aquarion.

Jin focused everything he had into forming a layered shield between the blast and the Aquarion, but one by one, they shattered like glassworks. As it was an energy beam, Yunoha made the Gepard transparent to try to phase through it but, that too, did not work. The attack was not light-based, so invisibility had no effect on whether or not it could land.

Yunoha screamed as the Gepard shook around her. The entire machine slammed into the ground while the enemy attack continued to press down around it. After what seemed like minutes, the wave of energy finally ceased. Immediately afterwards, the Gepard broke apart into its constituent Vectors.

Yunoha was breathing heavily, she felt exhausted. The others were probably about the same. To her horror, the Ahura Gnis pursued Jin's vehicle first, grabbing it by the tail.

"Jin-kun!" she screamed out, addressing the boy directly for the first time.

Time seemed to slow as the Ahura Gnis punched through the back of Jin's Vector, shorting out the engine.

"Yunoha—get out of here," Jin responded, sounding fearful for her safety.

The Ahura Gnis dropped Jin's immobile Vector to the ground and then flew into the air, stopping about 100 feet above it.

"You two, deal with the others," Commander Izumo directed to his subordinates through the still open communication channel. His machine looked down upon Jin's Vector, an emperor ready to pass judgment. The barrel of the Altair Cannon formed again and began to glow red.

"Jin Muso, do you have any last words?" Commander Izumo asked. "As the Last Son of Altair, you were a symbol of hope for our people. You have betrayed their trust. This is the price you shall pay for your forbidden love."

Even as she dodged gunfire from the enemy guard, Yunoha heard every last word the man said. She thought desperately about how she might be able to save Jin. She was too far away to do any real damage to the Ahura Gnis, which looked like it was almost ready to fire.

She came to a decision.

Yunoha closed off all the non-essential functions of her Vector except for one communication channel into Jin's vector, directing the rest of the power to the engines.

"Jin-kun," she began softly. "I never did get a chance to answer you." Her voice strengthened, grew more confident, "I suppose that I need to get over my embarrassment sometime, since you've worked so hard to change yourself into a better person."

"Yunoha—," he said, realizing what she was about to do.

"I love you too, you know. And I was so happy when you said you wanted to be with me for as long as you could."

"Don't do it, Yunoha," he pleaded.

"I feel the same way," she continued, "I wish we could spend an eternity getting to know one another. But I can't think of any other way. I'm sorry, Jin-kun, but you have to live on."

Yunoha closed her eyes. As the red light of the Ahura Cannon enveloped her Vector which she had flown swiftly to shield Jin, the last thing she heard was his anguished cry.

"Yunoha!"

* * *

*notes: Not much to do this weekend with the heat making me not want to take a step outside so I got this done faster than expected. A decent amount of non-canon events and a twist on the one that _is_ canon. Hope you enjoyed it. I've also always wanted to try a cliffhanger, so I hope you find this one satisfactory. Things I want to do in the future: do an Andy or MIX perspective chapter and one for either Mykage to flesh out his character or Kagura to try to develop him a little. The next chapter will probably take a bit longer to do that the last ones, I have a busy week coming up. So, with that, I'll present the working title for the next chapter.

**Chapter 5: Lost Shepherd, Lost Flock**


	4. Chapter 5: Lost Shepherd, Lost Flock

**Chapter 5: Lost Shepherd, Lost Flock**

Zessica sat on the top floor of the unfinished tower, running her fingers through Amata's hair as he rested. He had collapsed from exhaustion shortly after Mykage disappeared into thin air along with Kagura and Mikono. Zessica laid him down on the floor and placed his head on her lap. She hummed the tune from "Skies of Aquaria" softly to him; it seemed to help him relax. He was thrashing about in his sleep until she had thought of humming to him.

Shrade, MIX, and Andy were on their way. She had contacted them as soon as she could and given them a brief overview on what had happened at the tower. By now, Neo-DEAVA should be sending a helicopter over to pick them up. She figured she had at least 5 minutes before they showed up. 5 precious minutes with Amata; although not in the way that she wanted.

"You idiot," she murmured. "Why'd you have to force yourself so hard?"

Aside from bruises here and there, he didn't look too badly injured. Still, Zessica couldn't forgive Mikono for not lifting a finger to help him during the whole ordeal. Well, the girl was gone now, probably somewhere on Altair. A particularly venomous thought entered Zessica's mind: Wouldn't it be poetic justice if Mikono fell victim to the "Curse of Eve?" _No_, she though, _that would be too cruel a fate even for someone like her…_

Zessica had suspected that Mikono would choose to go with Kagura ever since she had seen that vision. She wanted to deny that it was true, but only because she knew that Amata would be distraught over it once he regained consciousness. But this was reality, and Mikono was now on the other side of the dimension gate; out of reach unless Neo-DEAVA managed to get ahold of the technology needed to punch a hole through to the world of Altair.

MIX and Andy arrived before Shrade did. MIX's reaction to the position the two were in was a pointed finger and a short lecture about public decency. Zessica just smiled weakly throughout the whole thing, not really caring.

Andy gave a low whistle, "Man, why do these sorts of things always happen to Amata? I'm jealous and he isn't even awake for this."

Then, turning to MIX with a bit of a grin on his face, "Hey Mix, want to—"

"No."

"Oh, come on. It's not like I'm asking to touch your big bangs or anything! It's just—"

"No!" MIX exclaimed in exasperation. Then in a much quieter voice that Zessica could barely hear, "not in public at least…"

Zessica could tell that the two were forcing themselves to act normally in an attempt to put off acknowledging how the rescue team had failed to secure Mikono. After her initial disappointment with how Mikono had acted in front of Amata faded away, Zessica started feeling down; she had failed one of her comrades in a time of need. She took solace in the fact that Amata was alright, but she also dreaded what might happen once he woke up and realized Mikono was gone.

Shrade arrived a few minutes later, apologizing for his tardiness. He had apparently been searching on the other end of town and had come as quickly as he could after receiving information on Mikono's whereabouts from the command center.

"He'll be fine," he said, indicating Amata, "The sounds of his heart have a franticness about them, but the overall piece still flows strongly."

"You, however," he said, looking at Zessica, "sound like a haphazard melody. Are you alright?"

Zessica thought about lying for a brief moment, but decided that she probably wouldn't fool the older student at all. "I don't know. There's just been so much going on that I guess I need some time to make sense of things." She looked down at Amata's resting form. "And there's so much I want to do, but I don't know how to get started."

Shrade nodded knowingly. "Just know that there are always people you can turn to," he said encouragingly. "We're all here to support one another, no matter what we have to face."

The helicopter arrived moments later, briefly touching down on a cleared section of the roof for the students to board. The night's ordeal was finally over. Never before had Zessica been so relieved to be heading back to the academy.

* * *

Jin wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his pilot suit. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. Anger, already an unfamiliar expression for the boy, welled up and took hold of him. Anger at Izumo was part of it, but mostly he was angry at himself for being so powerless. The red beam of the Altair Cannon surrounded his craft, but his cockpit remained in the protective shadow cast by Yunoha's Vector. The interplay of light and darkness made it impossible to see what was going on outside.

As the attack faded away, Jin's eyes gradually brought the scene before him into focus. He blinked once in surprise. Then, he wiped away the tears that still streaked his face and welled in his eyes and looked again.

Yunoha's Vector was still there, completely unharmed.

"Yunoha!" he shouted over the intercom. He opened a visual feed into her machine. The girl he loved was sitting there, gripping the controls tightly, eyes clamped shut.

"Yunoha!" Jin called again. This time, she opened her eyes.

"Jin-kun?" she answered hesitantly, clearly as surprised by the situation as he was.

"How?" Jin turned to look at the Ahura Gnis. The white machine just hovered in the air, wings spread out like an angel.

Moments later, Commander Izumo's face appeared in a screen next to Yunoha's. He had a rare smile on his face, the slightly melancholic type parents get when they realize their child has grown up.

"Commader—," Jin began, nearly choking on the words, "what?"

"I have no right to judge someone for betraying Altair for the sake of love," Commander Izumo said softly. He didn't elaborate on what he meant, but there was a hint of painful reminiscence in his voice. "Still, I wanted to test the depths of your bonds."

He turned slightly to the side, addressing Yunoha, "Young girl, I apologize for frightening you, but I had to know whether you were meant to be with the Last Son of Altair. Your actions tonight have eased my mind; I wish that half my troops were as devoted and brave as you."

Izumo turned back to face Jin, "Didn't you think it was odd, Jin, that neither you nor your companions received any communications from your command center throughout our battle? Or that they didn't recall you to the command center by teleportation once it became clear you were all outmatched? I fought you with their consent. Although, I have to say, your Headmistress gave me a very thorough berating before I had a chance to fully explain."

Jin hadn't considered that at all. He had been too lost in the heat of battle. Besides, he was used to being the one giving orders. The only other times he went into combat as part of the Altair forces, he always did so alone. Teamwork was something he needed to get used to. With Yunoha around, Jin looked forward to learning to do so.

"But I saw you charging up that attack," Jin protested, "and the beam—"

"Was a tracer," the Commander replied, with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're not the only one that can practice deception. Though I must say, I never expected you three to damage my Ahura Gnis to this extent. I'll need to have someone repair it while I talk things over with your superiors at Neo-DEAVA."

The Commander landed the Ahura Gnis next to Jin's Vector. Yunoha parked her Vector on the ground on the other side of Jin. Jin quickly opened the hatch to his own machine and rushed over to meet her, catching her in his arms almost as soon as she had exited her own vehicle. He hugged her to his chest, marveling at the rush of emotions he was feeling. There was no need for words; she returned his embrace. The two stood there while time seemed to stand still. Neither one moved, wanting to commit this moment to eternal memory.

Their eyes met, both sets fighting against shyness. Jin bent down, feeling a bit awkward. She closed her eyes, lips about to meet his…

"Ahem." Commander Izumo cleared his throat, startling the two lovers. The magic of the moment dissolved, like the silvery surface of a still lake when someone throws a rock into it. Jin and Yunoha turned away from one another, suddenly embarrassed. Jin felt his face flushing and he ducked his head, hoping his bangs would cover enough so that the Commander wouldn't notice.

"You just had to go and do that, didn't you, Commander?" Jin muttered loudly enough for him to hear, letting the annoyance slip into his tone.

Commander Izumo just replied by laughing. It was a truly unusual sight, as if a rock had burst out in laughter. "Ah, to be young again," he lamented. "Don't worry Jin, you'll have plenty of time to get intimately acquainted with her. The two of you were standing there doing nothing for about 10 minutes. We're going to head to Neo-DEAVA now; the dimension gate has been closed to save energy for the time being and they're setting up an area where we can set down for repairs in a courtyard. I hope you're right about being able to find a solution together; the last time that was tried…" He left the words unsaid.

The flight back to Neo-DEAVA took no time at all. Jin spent the entire flight in a daze, still not believing his good fortune. His was the only unit that could not move under its own power so Commander Izumo had his guards carry Jin's Vector there.

Headmistress Crea was waiting for them when they arrived, standing between Instructor Dantes and Suomi-sensei. Supreme Commander Fudo stood off to the side, looking the same as ever with that knowing grin on his face.

Commander Izumo went to meet them, flanked by two helmeted guardsmen. They stood at attention in front of the delegation from Neo-DEAVA, waiting for them to make the first move. However, Headmistress Crea greeted the pilots of the Aquarion first.

"Cayenne, Yunoha, Jin, thank you for your efforts," she said plainly, clearly not about to apologize for keeping Commander Izumo's test a secret from them.

"Is there any news about my sister?" Cayenne blurted out. Then, as an afterthought, "or anything from the rescue team?"

Crea looked at him with pitying eyes. "I think it's best if you found out directly from your friends," she said softly. "They're all in the infirmary right now."

Cayenne immediately ran off at full speed. Despite his gruff exterior, the boy could be quite compassionate at times. After exchanging glances, Jin and Yunoha set off after him. If the rescue team was in the infirmary, that probably meant bad news; Jin prayed for the safety of his friends.

"Jin," the Headmistress shouted after him, "I want you to return as soon as possible since you're the common link between us and Altair."

It didn't take long to reach the infirmary at the pace they were going. The entire team sent after Mikono was gathered around one bed. Amata lay comatose on the bunk, looking worse for the wear. As the door opened to let Yunoha and Jin in, everyone turned around to look at the arrivals.

"Yo, Jin," Andy called in greeting. He sounded grim and serious for the first time since Jin had met him.

"Is Mikono-san—?" Yunoha began.

MIX shook her head sadly. "She was taken to Altair," she explained, almost in tears. "If only we had stayed together, maybe we could have done something…"

Everyone in the room seemed tired; the failure tonight weighed heavily on most of them. Even Jin, who had not really known Mikono too well, felt a little disheartened. Cayenne for his part, looked as stoic as usual but, based on how badly his arms were shaking, he was distraught.

"You can't blame yourselves," Jin said after a moment, when the silence started getting to him. "If you didn't split up, you might never have found out where she was in the first place. You did nothing wrong."

Everyone looked up in surprise. Jin supposed it would be surprising, the newcomer to Neo-DEAVA and a former enemy, trying to cheer them up. Either that or they never expected the still somewhat anti-social Jin to care about a girl he had exchanged barely a single sentence with.

"But—she's been taken to the other world," MIX cried out. "Who knows what Kagura could be doing to her even as we speak?"

Jin considered that for a moment. "Well, I have some good news on that front. The Commander of the Altair forces, Kamurogi Izumo, is here right now and I suspect that he's trying to work out a peaceful solution. With his authority on Altair, finding Kagura and getting Mikono-san back shouldn't be too hard."

Everyone brightened up at the news, even Zessica who, up until this moment, was watching over Amata intently. There was much speculation about what Commander Izumo's visit would result in, but the consensus was that only good could come of it. Jin smiled, it was good to see his companions with hope for the future rather than wallowing in self-pity.

He excused himself from the room, remembering what Headmistress Crea had asked of him. However, when he arrived back at the courtyard, the two parties were seated amicably around a table in a pavilion, making small talk and snacking. Crea was watching Izumo's two guards eat their donuts with an expression of amusement on her face; the two had obviously never had them before and the super sugary experience caused them to have a few interesting reactions.

"Welcome back Jin," the Headmistress greeted as he approached, "we've decided to adjourn for the night, seeing as how late it is already, and pick up where we left off tomorrow. Commander Izumo will be staying for a few days, is that correct?"

Izumo nodded. "That would be best," he said. "It has been some time since I've been on Vega and I'd like some time to take a look around in addition to our negotiation sessions."

Crea clapped her hands together and declared, "Then it is decided. Jin, if you would, please show our guests to their rooms. I believe the boy's dormitory has enough vacant rooms in your wing now to give each of them separate quarters."

The Commander insisted that one room would be more than enough, but the Headmistress was adamant. In the end, they settled on one room for the Commander and a second for his two guards. Jin showed them the way, taking the long route so that he could show the group around. All the while he spoke to Commander Izumo about how things were at the academy. Unlike his previous reports to the man as a spy within the school, Jin found that he could speak his mind about his feelings on various subjects. He noticed the Commander smiling to himself.

"What?" Jin asked.

"Nothing," Commander Izumo replied, "Just marveling at how much someone you thought you knew could change in a short time."

Afterwards, Commander Izumo briefed Jin on the situation on Altair. It seemed that segments of the Ianthe were malfunctioning periodically. People were getting used to conserving as much energy as possible to lower the possibility of burning out the system, but the problem persisted. If things continued the way they were going, it would only be a matter of time before traveling to Vega became impossible. With the events that befell the rescue group fresh in mind, Jin decided to broach a touchy subject.

"What has Mykage been up to recently?" Jin asked.

"Who knows?" the Commander replied, "the man's as much an enigma now as ever."

That answer bugged Jin for the rest of the night. If the _Commander _had no idea what was going on, no one on Altair or Vega would. Even as he lay on his bed trying to fall asleep, he found himself wondering what the unknown goal Mykage was pursuing would mean for both worlds.

* * *

Izumo walked out of the command room of Neo-DEAVA feeling every year of his age. He had truly enjoyed testing his former subordinate three nights ago in combat to see his growth. That had made Izumo feel young again. The boy _had_ gained a lot since coming to Vega. Izumo was grateful enough to the people of Neo-DEAVA for that alone; although, he would never reveal it since they would likely use it as a bargaining chip in negotiations with him.

So far, the discussions had revolved around putting an end to abducting female element users, the ones Izumo and most people from Altair called "Rare Iguras," and putting a stop to use of dimension gates for military purposes. The Headmistress had offered several concessions; including putting the full resources of Neo-DEAVA into finding a solution to "the Curse of Eve" and arranging for migration between worlds once a cure was discovered. Izumo was surprised by the generosity of the terms and would have accepted them if he was the sole person from Altair who needed to decide on the issue. Unfortunately, Mykage wielded an uncomfortably strong sway over the hearts and minds of many of the citizens of Altair and Izumo suspected that the priest would get in his way.

So, Izumo left the meeting thinking hard about what he could do in order to prevent Mykage's interference from undermining this undertaking. But, there was another thing that weighed more heavily on his mind. He recalled the last words he had traded with the too-young-appearing Headmistress.

"There was a name in one of the files that Jin sent me weeks ago that caught my attention," he had said. "I would very much like to meet this boy."

This was why he was now headed for the Neo-DEAVA's infirmary. His steps alternated between swift and painfully slow; he both looked forward to and dreaded the upcoming encounter greatly. Commander Izumo paused outside the room, hesitating in a most uncommander-like fashion. He raised his hands to knock but, deciding against announcing himself, took hold of the handle and opened the door forcefully.

The room was empty save for a youth laying on the furthest bed from the entrance and a green-haired Rare Igu- no, he had to think of her as a girl now, a green-haired girl who was seated next to the boy's bed, resting her head at the foot of the bunk. At the sound of the door opening, she nearly jumped up in surprise.

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing. "I've never seen you at Neo-DEAVA before."

Izumo answered with the truth, and then replied, "Now that I have given you my name, courtesy demands that you do the same."

The girl introduced herself as Zessica Wong, but as she did so, Izumo couldn't help but notice that she had placed herself between him and the comatose young man. It seemed she had a protective streak— interesting…

"I mean the boy no harm," Izumo stated, raising both hands to show his sincerity. "Though I must confess some relief at finding him asleep."

When she heard that, Zessica relaxed visibly, but asked warily, "Why is that?"

"Because I wouldn't know what to say, meeting the son of Alicia again after all these years."

There was a brief pause.

"You knew Amata's mother?" Zessica asked incredulously.

"Of course, seeing as how she and I were in love," Izumo said. Then, not really knowing why he was explaining himself, "You see, Amata is my son; although I only found out he was alive a short time ago."

Zessica was clearly interested in the tale. "Sit down," she said, finally trusting him. She pulled up another chair next to Amata's bed and turned to face Izumo.

"So," the green-haired girl began, sounding intrigued, "what happened between you three?"

Izumo began talking about how he and Alicia had met and their relationship which threatened to undermine Izumo's loyalty to Altair. He spoke at length about how hard it was to leave her behind and return to his home-world and how Mykage had convinced him to bring the woman to Altair. As he talked, Izumo felt his worries lessen; although he was divulging secrets he had kept from everyone for years to a stranger, it was a form of release for him, a sense of catharsis that he had not thought possible.

"I convinced Alicia to come to Altair, leaving her son behind, so that the two of us might be able to find a solution to 'the Curse of Eve' together. We were only supposed to be gone for a few days; a test to see whether a Rare Igura would be able to withstand the conditions on my world. There shouldn't have been any risk. Even though we were going to leave the boy behind, I thought that it would be fine."

Izumo sighed, remembering the consequences of his poor judgment. "I thought wrong," he continued. "Not two days after Alicia had arrived, something unthinkable happened. A disgruntled worker or a man driven mad by the desperate situation on Altair, we never found out which it was, sabotaged the machine that creates the dimension gate, causing it to crash to the earth. Despite all our planning, in one terrible stroke, we were all stranded on Altair."

Izumo sat in silence for a long while. The memories were painful for him and the wounds in his heart felt as fresh as the day they formed. Zessica placed a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"What happened next?" she asked quietly.

The Commander took a deep breath, "It turned out that Rare Iguras, while they didn't show the same symptoms as normal women, were still affected by Altair's atmosphere. We didn't know what would happen so, in a panic, I had Alicia placed into stasis before anything worse could happen to her. After that, it took six years to build a new machine to break through dimensions, six long years of hard work and despair. I probably could have gone to search for Alicia's child after that, but by that time I was too involved in the effort to preserve Altair. And, deep in my heart, I suppose I feared the response my son would give me, to the one who took his mother away. So I put off doing so, making one excuse after another, until now."

Izumo took a long look at Amata's sleeping face. He gave a bitter laugh. "Kamurogi Izumo, war hero, tireless protector and leader of a world, and he's relieved because he doesn't have to hear what a son he abandoned 10 years ago would say to him."

He turned to face the girl to which he had just told everything to. She wasn't looking at him, instead focusing on his son. She had a look of longing on her face and a sadness that mirrored Izumo's own. After a while, she spoke.

"I don't think you should be afraid of what Amata would say to you," she answered. "He might be angry at first and say everything you fear he would in that anger, but your son has a kind and caring heart. I think it would do you good to talk to him when he's awake because I think that his words will put an end to your suffering over what happened in the past. He's that type of boy."

She touched Amata's forehead tenderly, brushing a stray hair to the side.

"I used to tease him a lot when he first came to Neo-DEAVA, just because I thought it was fun to see him float when his power went haywire. But as time passed, I got to know him better. The side of him that would keep trying even when he was afraid, the side of him that empathized with those around him, the part of him that treated others kindly even though it might hurt him to do so. He's a good boy, your son. I'm sure he'll forgive you after he has time to digest everything you have to tell him."

Izumo knew the expression that the girl had on her face very well. Although the memory was from more than a decade ago, it was the same expression that Alicia had around him, and the one he wore around her as well. The look of a person deeply in love.

"You've been watching over him since that night?" he asked.

She nodded, "I wanted him to have a familiar face around when he woke up, considering what happened with Mikono…"

Izumo nodded slowly. Thinking that he didn't know of all the events of the night Izumo had come through the dimension gate (and he didn't,) Zessica elaborated on how Amata had liked Mikono since before the two had entered the academy and how this stalker-ish man from Altair, Kagura, had also shown an interest in the girl. According to the Zessica's impression of how events had occurred, three nights ago, Mikono had left Amata behind to go with Kagura to Altair.

"So, let me get this straight, and correct me if I'm wrong," Izumo recapped. "My son likes this Mikono girl who might like him back but is conflicted with feelings for my rogue-agent subordinate, Kagura. Meanwhile, you're in love with my son, but are unable to say anything about it out of consideration for his feelings and the friendship you have or had with Mikono."

Zessica's jaw dropped. She obviously did not expect a middle-aged man to piece together everything, including her own unstated feelings, so quickly. Izumo scoffed; teenagers tended to forget that adults were once their age.

Blushing furiously, she protested. "I'm not—ok, yes I like Amata. Er, more than like, I don't know whether I'd call it—ok, maybe it is." She stammered, tongue-tied and on the defensive. Izumo just sat there, watching the spectacle without changing his expression.

"Fine," Zessica concluded breathlessly after chasing her own thoughts in about a dozen circles. "Yes, I love him. Is there a problem with that? I'd do anything for him and if he wants to pursue Mikono, I'm going to be there for him. I won't ever leave him like Mikono did that night."

"And like how Alicia left him?"

Although she was startled, Zessica looked at Izumo defiantly, "I will definitely not abandon him. Even if he doesn't acknowledge that I love him."

Izumo smiled. "He's a lucky boy. Though he's had more than his fair share of life's misfortunes, having someone like you by his side—I suppose it balances out."

Zessica's face flushed bright red. She fidgeted about in her seat for a bit, looking directly between her feet and squeezing her hands.

An announcement over the PA system interrupted their talk.

"Commander Izumo, please report to the command room immediately. Commander Izumo, please report to the command room immediately."

"Well then, I'd best be off," Commander Izumo said, standing up. Facing Zessica one last time, he added, "And although I know you will even if I don't ask you to, please look after my son for me."

Since he thought that the announcement was a call to resume negotiations, Izumo strolled quickly through the hallways, taking the shortest route possible. As it so happened, he was _not_ summoned because of that reason.

"You're here," Headmistress Crea said, sounding relieved. "We received a communication attempt from Altair for you."

The video feed from Altair started off staticky, but soon resolved to a more clear image. Izumo recognized the man in the feed as his second-in-command, Lieutenant-Commander Hirata. The man was reliable, if a little too formal; Izumo had entrusted him with contact information through a private channel last night should an emergency occur. He hadn't expected anything to happen though.

"Commander Izumo," the other officer began, holding a salute. "I'm afraid I have very dire news to report."

"Is it about the Ianthe?" Izumo asked, worried that the system had finally shut down like it was threatening to.

"No sir," Hirata replied, "It's about Mykage-sama."

The threat level of whatever might have occurred jumped up five notches in Izumo's mind.

"Out with it," Izumo ordered, "and keep it as brief but informative as possible."

"There's been an uprising," the man explained. "We suspect Mykage is behind it, but a large armed mob has taken over much of the infrastructure. We've been pushed back to a few strongholds after they raided several Gnis hangers. We can probably hold out for a long while still, but we're going to need all the help we can get. More bad news, we've lost control of the dimension gate machine, that was amongst the first targets they seized. We'll try to push them out of there and open a portal for you, but I don't know for how long or if we can even do it."

Izumo cursed, causing the other man to do a double-take in shock. The Commander hardly ever used language like that.

"What about Alicia?" he asked, letting the concern slip into his voice.

"We've managed to move her out before the command post was stormed," the second-in-command reported, sounding relieved. "She's still a powerful symbol for the people of Altair, so we can't afford to let her fall into enemy hands. We will do everything in our power to keep her safe, Izumo-sama, but please, we need your help here. Even your presence alone might be enough to sway some of the rebels."

A loud boom resonated through the command center.

"Damn," Lieutenant-Commander Hirata exclaimed, "it looks like they've started shelling our position again—"

Another explosion sounded, followed by the visual feed cutting off and turning into a field of static.

*notes: Less of an action-oriented chapter this time around, but it was still fun to write. The Lieutenant-Commander is a character I made up for the purpose of this story; he doesn't actually exist in canon. As for why events in this chapter went the way they did following what happened previously… I generally despise the use of Deus ex Machina as a story-telling device (ironic in that in Aquarion, the equivalent of God pretty much _is_ a machine.) This also means that I will try my best to keep the characters _in_ character *cough* Evol final episode *cough*(I did like the episode, just not all the random OOC moments). I'm not against happy endings, but I believe that those should be earned. Look forward to seeing how things progress from here. Title preview for the next chapter:

**Chapter 6: Desperation Interlude**


	5. Chapter 6: Desperation Interlude

**Chapter 6: Desperation Interlude**

Almost as soon as Commander Izumo had left the room, Amata opened his eyes. He turned his head towards Zessica and greeted her. His friend nearly fell backwards out of her seat.

"Amata! Are you feeling alright?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I'm feeling a little hungry, how long was I out for?" he replied. He tried to sit up, but found that he had been strapped down to the infirmary bed.

"Oh," Zessica exclaimed. "I'll get those for you in a minute. You kept thrashing around in your sleep and we didn't want you to hurt yourself. But you've missed quite a lot; this is the third day since you fell unconscious."

Amata sighed, "I guess so. Mikono-san's really gone, isn't she? And now of all times I find out that my parents are alive and—"

Zessica gave an embarrassed scream, grabbed a pillow, and hit him over the head with it. "You were listening the whole time? I can't believe you, why didn't you—" She sputtered at him wordlessly for a little while longer.

Then, she ran out the door, beet-red in the face, leaving Amata still tied to the bed. He tried to move again but, as expected, the restraints wouldn't budge.

"Hey, Zessica, a little help here?"

The door opened a crack and she peeked in, as if he were some oddity that might be dangerous.

"Did you hear it?" she asked quietly.

"Hear what?" Amata asked.

"Don't play dumb," Zessica said, "I meant what I told Commander Izumo about you…and how I—"

Amata felt his face reddening; he had heard everything. If he hadn't been secured to the bed, he probably would have ended up floating into the ceiling when he had first heard Zessica telling his father about her feelings for him. That would have given away everything in a heartbeat.

"I—did," Amata confessed. He couldn't lie to a friend, not when he had overheard something she probably hadn't meant for him to know. He sighed and looked at the ceiling, trying to avoid eye-contact with Zessica. "I woke up a few minutes before he came. I wanted to hear what my father had to say about mom and his world, but I didn't want to have to talk to him just yet. So, I pretended to still be asleep. Like you said, I'm angry at him and mom for leaving me behind but I also want to understand why he made that choice. It's funny, I feel like punching him in the face and hugging him at the same time. It wouldn't be fair of me to confront him about it now, though; he's obviously as torn about it as I am."

He glanced at Zessica, who had re-entered the infirmary. "I need to apologize to you, Zessica-san. All this time I've been obsessing over Mikono-san so much that I didn't even realize—." He rubbed his temples. "If Mikono-san thinks she'd be happier with Kagura, then maybe it's better if I forget about her and—"

Zessica put a finger over his lips (when did she get so close?). "Stop being an idiot, Amata. The man I love wouldn't ever talk about abandoning a friend like that." She put her hands on her hips, enjoying the startled expression he must have had on.

"Besides," she continued, "Do you think I'd be satisfied with this? Being the consolation prize? That's downright rude, Amata." She gave him a playful poke on the nose. "I want you to rescue Mikono-san and then decide on what your feelings are. I said I'd always be by your side, Amata, and I meant it. I want your choice to be something you've decided for yourself, not because you think that fate means you can't be with Mikono or because you don't know who or where to turn to like a lost puppy. Screw fate, screw destiny, forget about 12,000 years ago, and just be you. If the future only holds despair for you, fight it."

Amata looked at her for a long time. Then, he finally nodded and said softly, "Thank you, Zessica. You're right. I've been a bit of an idiot these past few weeks. Probably means I need to grow up and avoid falling into the same pitfalls again and again."

She considered his words for a moment. Then, satisfied with his answer, Zessica favored him with a wide smile; the kind that would have made him bang his head onto the ceiling if he wasn't tied down. "You've been more than a 'bit' of an idiot. Come on, let's get those bindings off. The others will want to know you're awake."

She unbuckled the straps holding Amata down and he climbed off the bed, feeling weak-kneed from being off his feet for several days. Zessica offered to support his weight, but with all the things she had said fresh in his mind, every time she came close he found himself losing his balance and floating into the air. It took about ten minutes of hobbling about before Amata finally got used to being on his feet again.

None of their friends were in the dorms. Nor were they in the cafeteria or on the academy grounds. The two were just about to give up looking for them when a breathless student ran up to them.

In between gasps, he managed to wheeze out, "I've been looking for you two all over the school; you're the only ones I didn't pass the message to yet. The Headmistress called for all active Vector pilots to meet in the command room."

"Why didn't she just use the PA system?" Zessica inquired.

"Beats me," the student gasped. "But, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go ahead and find somewhere to collapse in exhaustion."

It didn't take them long to get there. The command center was a flurry of activity; it was almost as if they were going to scramble the Vectors for a battle. The other pilots were waiting for Zessica and Amata, standing in a circle by the Headmistress' desk. Their faces lit up in smiles when they saw that Amata was with her.

"Hey bro!" Andy exclaimed as he slapped Amata hard across the back. "You're finally up, Sleeping Beauty?"

Amata turned to face each of his friends; even Cayenne looked a bit happy to see him. Then, bowing his head slightly, he said, "I'm sorry to have worried you all." Turning to Andy, he asked, "So, why are we all here anyway?"

"I will answer that in a moment, Amata Sora," the Headmistress stated, walking from a side entrance to her desk. She sat down and then began. "As most of you know, we have been negotiating with the leader of the Altair forces to come up with a peaceful solution to the issues plaguing both our worlds. Today, we received some disturbing news from the other world that could very well undermine our progress thus far. Commander Izumo, if you will, please give us a briefing."

The lights dimmed dramatically, and a grizzled man walked in front of the screen, casting a shadow across the display. He looked at each of them in turn, assessing them. If he was surprised to see Amata up and about, he gave no indication of it, no sign that the two had any connection whatsoever.

"Thank you, Headmistress," he said respectfully, nodding his head in her direction. "Forty minutes ago, your leaders and I received disturbing news from the planet Altair. From what we could gather, there is currently a coup in progress on my home-world. While I do not wish to ask so much of you after only just beginning to make peace, I would very much appreciate if Neo-DEAVA would be willing to work with me to assess the situation and, if needed, intervene."

He walked over to the left of the screen where a man's image, frontal profile, was displayed. Amata recognized him as the figure that appeared to take Mikono away along with Kagura.

"This is Towano Mykage. He wields almost as much influence as I have on my home-world and, according to my sources, is behind the recent unrest. While I am open to the idea of a peaceful resolution to our conflict, there is no telling what Mykage's agenda would mean for the present ceasefire."

He faced the group of students and stared hard at them.

"I understand perfectly if none of you wish to involve yourselves in a conflict that is not your own. However, it has come to my attention that one of your own has been taken to Altair recently. The instability on Altair will no doubt endanger her well-being, but it also offers a unique opportunity to run a rescue operation. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you recover her should you choose to mount a rescue. Take some time to come to a decision, but know that as soon as my men are able to open a dimension gate, we will have to leave immediately."

It seemed that the Commander had said everything he wanted, because he turned on his heels and walked over to Supreme Commander Fudo. The two deliberated in low, hushed voices. The lights returned to their normal brightness and the Aquarion pilots began talking amongst themselves. Within seconds, it became clear that every single one of them was in favor of going to Altair. The only problem was that there were six available Vectors and far too many pilots.

"We have to decide on who's going," Amata declared. He looked at his friends with a determined expression on his face. "I need to go. There are answers to my questions there and I can't pass up this opportunity."

"I'm going to rescue my sister," Cayenne stated with no room for objection. "The only way you're going to stop me from going is if I'm dead or in a coma."

Shrade wanted to go because, according to him, the remnants of music clinging to Commander Izumo's presence from his homeworld were tantalizingly bittersweet and he felt that understanding it better would both help him complete his song and find a solution to "the Curse of Eve."

After that, Andy decided that he had to go, because Amata needed someone to watch his back. MIX, denying any ulterior motives, then wanted to go as well; to keep Andy out of trouble, she said. In moments, everyone else gave their reasons for wanting to go all at once and the group was back to square one.

They decided on a different approach, based on what each person's Element power was and how useful it might be. Cayenne's Prophecy of Despair was an obvious choice. Jin and Yunoha pointed out that Isolation and Invisibility would both be useful in a warzone. Jin added that if he shared a Vector with someone on the flight over to Altair, he would be able to reclaim and pilot the prototype version of his Radius Gnis unit and increase the combat options available to the group.

So that was three people decided on and 4 available spots left for Vector pilots. Since the students couldn't decide amongst themselves, they informed Headmistress Crea of what they had reached a consensus on and asked her to decide on the rest of the members. She assured them that she would consider it and dismissed them from the meeting.

"So, why did you send a runner instead of using the PA, Headmistress Crea?" Amata overheard Zessica asking as he exited the room.

"Divine punishment for eating the last frosted donut with sprinkles. I was saving that one."

* * *

Mykage lounged in the central room of his palatial residence. He was looking between two columns of falling water running down to the pool that made up the outer perimeter of the room, where a screen showed him the happenings within Neo-DEAVA. It was a terrible habit, this peeking into the lives of others, but Mykage rather enjoyed the power it gave him over others.

To one side of the room, Kagura was howling within his cage of thorny vines, tied down and restrained as a dog should be when it needed to be punished. Across the room from him, in an identical cage, was the girl he had brought back from Vega; Mykage found distaste welling up from within him every time he looked in her general direction. The reincarnation of the reincarnation of the harlot who had stolen away _his_ Apollonius.

She had been very annoying on her first day on Altair after Mykage had caged both her and Kagura. She kept alternating between apologizing to "Amata-kun" and to Kagura. It had been entertaining for the first two hours or so, watching her snivel, but Mykage grown tired of the spectacle. So he had placed her into a trance; she was now nice and docile. Unfortunately, Mykage couldn't harm her just yet; he still had uses for her.

As the prophesized "True Eve" of Altair, the girl had proven an extremely helpful tool in wresting control of the planet's government from that meddlesome fool, Izumo. Even now, the remnants of Izumo's most loyal retainers were barricaded in the only fortifications left available to them, a heavily defended complex commonly known as "the Citadel." Knowing that the man would try and return to Altair to rally his men, Mykage was well prepared for any attempts by Izumo's men to open a dimension gate; he would quash them quickly and forcefully.

Mykage planned on opening the gate for Izumo himself, but at a time of his own choosing. If everything went according to plan, the Commander would bring the winged-boy along; him, Kagura, and the harlot were the three keys to awakening the Wings of the Sun. Izumo by himself was still a threat to Mykage's plans, but he was not going to open the gate until he had Alicia on hand as a bargaining chip. It was only a matter of time now before Mykage's thralls captured her.

Only a matter of time before the last of Izumo's followers were eliminated. Only a matter of time before Mykage would manipulate the emotions of the three players in his grand play and awaken the Wings of the Sun. Only a matter of time before _he_ took possession of the Wings. And, only a matter of time before he finally got his revenge on Apollonius for his betrayal and deceits over the last 24,000 years. Mykage laughed quietly to himself. Oh yes, he was learning the pleasures of being in control…

Kagura began to shout again and again for his wench. The howls of the beast were music to Mykage's ears; while the boy may not have been the manipulator in the events of 12,000 years ago, tormenting the reincarnation of Apollo was a satisfying endeavor. That was why, despite the loud, agonized screams that echoed through the chamber endlessly, Mykage did not just simply gag the young man. The stronger Kagura's emotions grew, the closer the Wings of the Sun came to awakening. Perhaps the youth was strong enough to awaken the Wings by himself.

"This is a familiar sight, isn't it Kagura? Having something that you desperately want held just out of reach? Perhaps I should give you a little gift, for all the help you've given me."

Mykage stretched his right hand towards the boy, scattering rose petals in his direction. They fluttered before his eyes, blinding him temporarily before their effect kicked in. Mykage had returned the memories that he stole from Kagura as a child back to him. The boy shuddered and then collapsed unconscious; dreaming of his past. Those memories should prove useful in antagonizing the winged-boy and consequently, in awakening the Legendary Aquarion.

He checked in on the leader of the insurrection, a disillusioned officer who had been a sergeant before despair over the rapidly decaying infrastructure of Altair drove him to alcoholism and eventually got him kicked out of the army for mental instability. Not the most effective of leaders, but one that was easily manipulated; to Mykage, the latter was more important than the former since _he_ was the one pulling all the strings.

"All is going well, Mykage-sama," the Sergeant said, "as you predicted, the defenders are trying to avoid stray fire falling on civilians so our mob tactics are working." While the man had a name, Mykage couldn't be bothered to remember it. Just as a carpenter used his tools without developing personal attachments to them, so did Mykage use his. The difference between the two was that Mykage would be even less bothered if one of his tools broke when compared to the carpenter.

"You are fulfilling your place in this new legend of Altair beautifully," Mykage praised, not one drop of sincerity touching his voice. Nevertheless, the man gave Mykage a salute as he vanished to his next destination.

As much as he enjoyed breaking people into becoming his pawns, Mykage often found that he needed time to reflect on his past so that he could better manipulate the future. So, he had a special room built within his residence which blocked out all distractions; noise, air currents, even magnetic fields were eliminated. It was a perfect sanctuary and where he often went to meditate. It was here that he decided that the only suitable punishment for Apollonius would be to finish the work Apollonius himself had started 24,000 years ago, before that human wench had stolen him away.

Being within that room was like being in nirvana. There was a distinct emptiness within the chamber, but that emptiness forced one to look within oneself and confront everything about oneself, both the virtues and the flaws. If Mykage had to describe the feeling, it felt like being within the Wings of the Sun, but with a one-person Union.

"Only a little longer, Apollonius," he muttered to himself, floating within the void. "A little longer and you will know the pain I've felt for 24 millenia. The hurt of having everything you hold dear torn from your grasp, close enough to always give you hope, but never within reach."

* * *

"Agh! I can't stand waiting around anymore!" Andy shouted, standing up with both hands clutching his beanie and an expression of extreme frustration on his face. He grabbed his right wrist with his left hand. "I'll just try and tear a hole to Altair right now! That's basically what a dimension gate is, right?"

MIX slapped him across the back of the head with a book, _hard_. "Dumb idea vetoed," she declared, shooting him a look that shamed Andy down to his toes. "Do you know how much damage you could do to the academy if you screwed up? What if, instead of opening a hole to Altair, you opened one into space? Or to the center of the planet?"

Amata was watching the two of them with an amused expression on his face. Beside him lay three empty cafeteria trays; he had eaten all of them within minutes, as if he hadn't seen decent food in months. Everyone had stared, amazed, as the normally polite boy barely managed to get an "Itadakimasu" in before wolfing down lunch rolls like it was his last meal.

"Actually, Andy-kun does have a point," Jin said, thinking deeply. "The dimension gate is little more than a guided wormhole. If he can adjust the coordinates somehow, there should be no reason why he can't tunnel to Altair."

"Two sides of the same coin," a deep voice spoke confidently.

Everyone turned in surprise. Supreme Commander Fudo had not lost his touch at appearing at the most unexpected time. He casually flicked a coin into the air where it spun end over end in an arc towards the ceiling.

"Supreme Commander Fudo!" everyone exclaimed at the same time, except for Amata who was in the middle of a bite and could only manage a muffled mumble.

The Supreme Commander caught the coin out of the air. "Two sides of the same coin, drill a hole through one, and you will always come out the other end." He opened his hand. There, in the palm, the coin spun slowly in a circle; heads tails heads tails.

"The teams have been decided," the Fudo Zen continued, declaring his purpose loudly. "Amata Sora, Shrade Elan, Andy W. Hol, Suzushiro Cayenne, Jin Muso, Yunoha Thrul, and Zessica Wong, prepare to sortie."

A buzz of excitement filled the air; it was time to take the fight to Altair. As Andy headed for the locker room to change into his Vector suit, a hand grabbed hold of his wrist. Turning around, he came face-to-face with MIX. She had an unreadable expression on her face.

"Promise me one thing," she said, sounding worried.

Andy gave her his warmest smile, "Anything."

"Don't do anything stupid," MIX asked of him. "No unnecessary heroics, no over the top antics. Just—stay safe." The last line was almost a whisper. She was _definitely _concerned.

That stretched Andy's definition of "anything" quite a bit. Still, if only to reassure her, Andy promised that he would because he had someone to return home to. Looking grateful, MIX gave him a quick hug before telling him that he should hurry. Andy regretted that the moment had not lasted longer, but he counted himself lucky regardless.

There was a different atmosphere of excitement this time around inside the command center. Instead of reacting to an attack, they would be launching one; this first time event was met with enthusiasm and the usual Neo-DEAVA flair, with Supreme Commander Fudo kicking off the start of the mission with words of wisdom.

"Look at everything that has been lost. Be aware of everything that you love. Hold them close. Do not be afraid of getting lost, because only you can determine where you want to go." As the pilots vanished through the teleporters, they caught one last glimpse of the enigmatic man's perpetual grin.

"Now announcing the team formations," Headmistress Crea said over the communication channel. "Andy W. Hol, Shrade Elan, and Zess-"

"I object to that," Andy said immediately, interrupting her. There was a collective gasp from some of the members of the technician crew at the command center; they all knew how badly Andy had wanted to be part of a mixed-gender Union. "I want my first mixed-gender Union to be with MIX," he declared in a loud voice, not caring who heard him. The gasps on the other side of the communication channel turned to squeals of delight and girlish chatter.

After a moment's pause, Headmistress Crea replied, "Very well, I will permit it. Andy W. Hol, you are paired with Suzushiro Cayenne and Shrade Elan. The second union will be Zessica Wong, Amata Sora, Yunoha Thrul, and Jin Muso. Take care girls, you only have a few hours before the 'Curse of Eve' is supposed to start affecting you. "

The two Aquarion units formed without any issues. Cayenne led Andy's machine, the Gepard, while Amata formed the Evol using the other three Vectors Jin was with Yunoha for the trip, she had insisted firmly, going translucent when confronting Headmistress Crea, but not budging on the issue. _Lucky little lovebirds_, Andy thought to himself. He wished MIX could have come along.

They gathered in the courtyard where Commander Izumo and his guards awaited their arrival. The Ahura Gnis had been mostly repaired; the mechanics had confessed that they wanted more time to fine-tune the leg joint which had been damaged during the fight.

"Alright Andy, we're counting on you," Amata called out over the intercom.

Andy closed his eyes and shot his cockiest grin, "Just leave it to Andy W. Hol to get things done."

He focused his power as much as he can, willing a rip in the very fabric of space to form in the air above the academy. He could feel it tearing apart, but he was still lacking something to finish the job. The others in his machine could sense it too.

Over in the split screen, Andy could see Shrade closing his eyes, concentrating on the melodies that only he could hear. Then, with a small smile, he said, "I see, so that's how it is. A sad tune indeed; of two worlds wishing to create a beautiful future."

The older student began to play a tune without using an instrument in the way that only Shrade Elan could. As the melody flowed through the cockpit, Andy could feel his effort feeding on itself, resonating to grow stronger. The tear in the dimensions opened; the size of a grapefruit at first, it gradually increased in size until it reached the size of a house and then grew some more. It finally stopped when it was large enough for all five machines to go through at once with room to spare.

Andy gave a short whoop; it always felt good to dig holes and this time, he had dug the equivalent of a priceless painting, a masterpiece that would be unparalleled by future endeavors. It was beautiful, he decided, as he gazed upon the perfect circle in the sky; almost as beautiful as MIX when she favored him with a smile.

All the machines flew up into the rent in the air at the same time. Operation Altair had begun.

* * *

*notes: A slightly shorter chapter this time around that's more of a set-up for the next chapter than anything else; still, it took longer than usual since I've been quite busy all week.

With all the stuff that Mykage did within canon, I find it hard to believe that the writer meant for him to be sympathetic. He's more openly manipulative in my version, but I think that that, in itself, might make him a bit more interesting in that it'll show the depths to which Apollonius' betrayal drove him. In other news, it looks like Jin-kun's getting a bit more used to interactions with the others, good for him, and MIX/Andy get to have a moment. I like how Zessica's turning out here too, I think that in the show she was a character with a lot of potential that just got kind of sidelined halfway through. Amata's still a bit wishy-washy but he's growing up (:P). Next chapter will be an action-driven one and if you couldn't guess the title from the last line of this chapter, it is:

**Chapter 7: Operation Altair**


	6. Chapter 7: Operation Altair

**Chapter 7: Operation Altair**

Izumo sat back and set his machine to autopilot as the familiar sight of the tunnel between Altair and Vega rushed by him. He was wrapped up in thoughts about what was happening on Altair; under the worst case scenario, Mykage would already have total control of the planet. He hoped that his men were able to hold out. They were good men, steadfast and brave; they deserved better than to die leaderless or be forced into servitude by Mykage.

Even as Vega passed further and further behind him, Izumo felt a sense of accomplishment. As Jin had suggested, Neo-DEAVA had been more than accommodating. Peace was looking to be a very wise option to pursue. In addition, it seemed that both Jin and his son were surrounded by people who were friendly and genuinely appreciated them; that was more than Izumo could have hoped to ask for for his son and one who had been like a son to him.

As he sat pondering, a small panel on his HUD started blinking. It was a mid-ranged signal coming in under an antiquated communication channel that hadn't seen use in at least a decade. Puzzled, Izumo accepted the transmission.

"Commander Izumo!" Lieutenant-Commander Hirata exclaimed. Relief etched showed on every feature on his face, "I had hoped that this would reach you."

"What's the situation like on Altair?" Izumo asked. "And why are you using this channel? It was abandoned because the signal strength is unreliable."

"My apologies, sir," his subordinate said. "Mykage's men have somehow jammed all the other frequencies that we normally use. As for the situation on Altair, it's—pretty bad, sir. We're holed up in the Citadel and I think we can hold out for a while longer. We're out of Gnis units though, so we can only rely on the anti-air defenses to take out enemy units."

Izumo nodded, listening intently. "Alright, good work Hirata. I know it's been hard on you so far, but hold out for just a little longer. I'm coming with backup. We'll find a way to get out of this mess."

The Lieutenant-Commander looked startled, "Y-You're coming? I don't underst—we failed to recapture the dimension gate. What am I saying? If you say you're coming, you're coming. This is—This is great news. The men will be overjoyed to hear it; we'll redouble our efforts and try to clear out the area somewhat." The man gave Izumo a salute before the transmission ended.

The tunnel ahead brightened as they approached the exit to Altair. As they flew through, Izumo looked around below him, surveying the damage done to his home-world. Aside from a few sections where burned out wreckage had crashed to earth, it didn't look too bad from the air. Of course, they were still far from the Citadel where the bulk of the fighting was happening.

Izumo vowed that Mykage would pay for manipulating his people the way he did. Decades of working together peacefully to ensure the survival of their kind, thrown into chaos in under half a week. The man had much to answer for.

Izumo linked up to the other four units of his party.

"If you're planning on rescuing your comrade, we should split up here," he said. "Andy W. Hol, you're coming with me. If we need to evacuate my men from where they're holed up, your power will be useful. The rest of you, head for Mykage's residence; that's likely where he's keeping Kagura and the girl."

Everyone acknowledged his orders; his aura of command affected even people who were not his subordinates. As the Aquarion Evol flew off following his guardsmen, Izumo opened a personal channel to the lead pilot.

"Amata Sora," he stated, "may you find the answers you seek here."

The young pilot, his son, looked like he wanted to say something. Then, shaking his head, he just replied, "Thank you. And good luck." With that, the Aquarion and the machines of Izumo's subordinates literally vanished into the background as Yunoha Thrul used her power.

Izumo hurried to the Citadel at full speed, the three Vectors of the Gepard following behind. Smoke was visible from several miles away as he approached and, as they neared, the extent of the damage became evident.

The most obvious destruction was the segments of Ianthe that looked like they had been bombed. Izumo figured that the attackers had done so to deny the occupants of the Citadel access to the energy grid. Unfortunately for them, the Citadel had been built before the Ianthe; it had access to alternate sources of power generation even when the normal grid was down. The strewn wrecks of Gnis units scattered about the warzone gave testament to the ferocity of the fighting here. The enemy seemed to have pulled back for now; the anti-air turrets were silent.

Izumo opened a transmission using the same channel his Lieutenant-Commander had used earlier.

"Good work, Hirata," he said when the haggard looking man appeared on the screen. "We've just arrived. How are the men doing?"

"They've seen better days," the officer admitted, "We notice you have three unidentified craft with you. Are they—?"

"Allies," Izumo answered, "from Vega. I'll have them evacuate the men while I hold the enemy off."

"Acknowledged sir. I'll relay the orders."

"Use the old landing crafts for the evac. And make sure to broadcast the signal I'll send to you as soon as you exit the dimension gate so that they don't assume you're an enemy."

Izumo gave Andy W. Hol the orders to prepare a dimension gate to Vega. He may have judged the boy as a bit of a fool in terms of behavior, but when things became serious, the boy seemed as reliable as any of Izumo's own men. The three Vectors merged to form the Gepard again and within minutes, a new dimension gate had opened just above the ground in the courtyard of the Citadel.

"How long can you keep that open?" Izumo asked.

Andy replied, "As long as I need to. I'm not going to leave without Amata and the others."

"Can you fight at the same time?"

"No," the boy admitted, "I don't think I can focus on both at the same time."

Izumo took off in the Ahura Gnis. "Very well," he said, "I'll hold off the enemy while you tend to that task."

It wasn't long before the enemy showed themselves again. A squadron of mass-produced units appeared from behind part of the ruined city. They stopped just outside of range to parley. A screen opened in Izumo's HUD, revealing a disreputable looking man with a cast of insanity to his eyes. For some reason, he looked familiar to Izumo.

"Well, well," the man said, barking a laugh. "If it isn't the great Commander Izumo himself. Mykage will be happy to hear that we eliminated you along with your allies."

"Do I know you?" Izumo asked calmly. By the man's casually mocking tone, Izumo deduced that they had met in the past.

"That was ages ago," the man smirked. "You were once my commanding officer. But now I just go by the title of 'Sergeant,' having cast off the shackles that bound me to my old life."

That cleared matters up for him. Izumo vaguely remembered dishonorably dismissing an officer a long time ago on charges of insubordination; in reality, the man had nearly beaten several trainees to death during training. It was a blemish on the otherwise perfect record of the military.

"Well Sergeant, you picked a bad time to cross paths with me," Izumo declared coldly. "You see, there are two things that I hate more than anything else in existence. The first is betrayal. The second is anyone who threatens to harm Alicia. You—have the misfortune of having committed both."

Izumo flexed the fingers on the Ahura Gnis to emphasis his point.

The "Sergeant" laughed uproariously as more mass-produced units rose up into the air behind him. He leveled his weapon at Izumo.

"If you want to make threats," he said slyly, "make sure you outgun your enemy. Last time I counted, there were forty of us, and one of you."

Izumo sent his unit forwards a few meters and shot a beam from the hand of his machine, spearing an enemy through the head. Extending the wings of his unit outwards to block out the sun, he transmitted one final line to his foe.

"Last time I counted, there were thirty-nine of you and one of me," Izumo replied emotionlessly. The Ahura Gnis approached the enemy like a vengeful god. "May you choose your loyalties more wisely should you be reborn in 12,000 years time."

* * *

It felt refreshing to be back on his home-world. Sure, the air was stale and metallic, the scenery bland and mechanical, and the sky drab and smog-covered, but Jin was born here and grew up here. He loved this world as much as Vega.

He checked their coordinates again; the storage facility that he had stored his prototype Radius Gnis in was, coincidentally, almost directly in the path they were taking to Mykage's residence. Although the insurrectionists might have raided the upper hangar, Jin's unit was docked in a secured underground section. He doubted that anything could get in there without clearance.

"Let me off around here," Jin said, when they were about less than two kilometers away from the site. The Evol touched down gently in an open lot.

"Alright then, Yunoha," he said, smiling at the girl seated beside him. "Stay safe, I'll follow behind once I reclaim my machine."

"I will," she replied, "but I'm more worried about your safety, Jin-kun."

She leaned upwards and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Jin could feel the place where her lips met his face growing hot. He looked at her questioningly before realizing that he had completely vanished. He couldn't see his own hands or his clothes at all. Yunoha smiled knowingly at him.

"A good luck charm," she said shyly, before hugging her doll and turning just as transparent as Jin.

He gave her a quick hug, guessing at where she was, before exiting the Evol. He'd have to travel by foot to reach his destination; something that looked to be a rider-less vehicle would be bound to attract attention. He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of steel and oil from the air, and set off.

The streets were depressingly empty. With the fighting going on, Jin was hardly surprised. Still, Altair just didn't seem like Altair without bands of off-duty workers wandering the streets, bantering with one another and complaining about the heat, the smells, or the sights. Jin had never been one for participating in such activities, but its absence now was bothersome.

The building he was looking for was a low, flat-roofed structure, innocently housed between a dozen similar civilian warehouses. It was the perfect camouflage for a military-owned hangar. There were two guards stationed outside of the front of the building by the gate but Jin just bypassed them, climbing over the gate on the side to avoid detection.

Checking to make sure no one would notice a door opening by itself, Jin then unlocked the side-entrance using his clearance code. Luckily, no one had thought to delete his ID from the system when he had gone MIA. He would have to move fast though, the system would log his entrance into its memory and if a guard happened to check the records, he would notice that "Jin Muso," who supposedly went missing, had entered the hangar.

No one was inside the main hangar, but all the machines on the top floor were missing. Jin supposed they had either been scrambled to deal with Mykage's uprising or had been commandeered by the enemy. Not that Jin cared either way, the only unit he was after was his own, stored at the very bottom basement of the extensive underground part of the facility. He walked over to the maintenance elevator and selected his floor.

As the elevator descended into the depths of the earth, Jin could feel excitement rising within him. It seemed like an eternity since he had piloted his own machine; while the Aquarion was an amazing experience in every sense of the word, Jin missed having an entire mech under his control. Although he did not find teamwork distasteful (and certainly not when paired with Yunoha,) he liked being in control of every little detail of piloting.

The elevator dinged as he reached the last floor. As soon as he stepped out, he was greeted by the sight of a solid steel vault door, one of three in a set, each of which were designed to hold out even under sustained fire from beam weaponry. Jin punched in his access code on the first console, prompting the first door to swing open. He did the same for the second and the third, revealing the chamber where his prototype unit was stored.

Jin stepped onto the walkway and switched on the lights. His eyes adjusted quickly to the sudden brightness and, smiling, he regarded the bare frame of the Radius Gnis Zero. It was the machine he used as a test-bed for new weaponry; it had no built-in armor, no built-in weaponry, only the bare essentials. Everything was modular, dependent on what devices Jin had been testing out for use on his main machine.

While the Radius Gnis had a distinctive red/yellow color scheme, the prototype was unpainted and was a dull silvery grey. The only resemblance between the units was the head, which remained largely unchanged aside from the lack of color on this one. The rest of the machine was an unadorned skeleton frame that only vaguely resembled the unit Jin had piloted on sorties to Vega.

Jin turned to the keyboard of the computer which adjusted the equipment on the prototype frame. Beam weapons, solid state ammunition, armor, it was all here. Jin ignored all of that, instead scrolling down to the final item on the list. He smiled. _Oh yes, this was the perfect time to put that to use_.

The automated machinery took twenty minutes to install the new gear. When that was done, Jin fired up the Radius Gnis Zero and opened the bay door that led to the exit shaft. It was time to get busy.

Several startled guards rushed into the prototype's storage hold minutes later, running past the open vault doors. They found the chamber completely devoid of activity aside from one computer screen. Naturally, they approached it cautiously, weapons raised, only to find numbers counting down on the monitor.

"3…2…1…," the soft voice from the speakers taunted them. As the number hit zero, the vault doors all suddenly shut themselves with a loud hiss, trapping the guards within. "Full lockdown initiated," the machine proclaimed mockingly.

* * *

Zessica glanced at Amata through the visual feed into his cockpit. She was worried that he might be overly stressed due to all the revelations he had been hit with over the past day in addition to the task of rescuing Mikono. Apparently, she didn't have to worry, he seemed more focused and determined now than she had ever seen him. She wondered if he would be the same way if _she_ been the one that had been taken rather than Mikono.

Over on the other split-screen, Yunoha was still invisible; Zessica knew she was there because the younger girl was humming a cute tune to herself. Spying on her goodbye with Jin was probably an indecent thing to do, but Zessica couldn't help it; the two of them just made such an adorably innocent couple. Now if only Amata could make up his mind—Zessica shook her head, forcibly reminding herself _not _ to think of that right now.

"Heads up," one of Izumo's guards noted over the intercom, "We're approaching our destination."

Without their boss around, the two had slipped into casual speech. The one that had just spoken had insisted that the pilots of the Aquarion call him by his name, Zwei, as soon as Izumo was out of sight. They were a good-natured pair and passed the time telling jokes that really didn't make much sense to Zessica.

Mykage's residence was a gaudy affair. In a world where everything was steel and concrete, it looked as if his living quarters were constructed of white marble. Whereas most of Altair was built for utility, this complex was all spires, pillars, and spacious windows. Surprisingly, for the headquarters of someone as important as Mykage, the place was completely unguarded.

They chose a clearing protected by an overhang to land their machines.

"I'll stay by the Vectors and keep them invisible," Yunoha said. Zwei offered to stay as well, as an extra hand. No doubt he would also use the opportunity to question the shy little girl on her relationship with Jin.

Before they left, Yunoha used her power on everyone the same way that she did with Jin, minus the kiss on the cheek. It didn't take long before they realized that they couldn't see _each other,_ which made coordinating their movements a little difficult. Zessica came up with the idea of holding a pebble in one hand; while a floating rock would be noticeable if you were looking for it, it wasn't too conspicuous and it at least showed each party member's position.

The entrance to the building was open already, almost as if someone was expecting them. However, no one was inside the first room they entered, nor was there anyone in the hallway. It was disconcertingly quiet. Zessica didn't like it one bit.

"Be careful," she whispered to Amata. "Something seems a little off."

Her suspicions were confirmed when they entered a large circular room. It was largely undecorated except for the ornate columns spiraling upwards, but a stream of light came down from the center of the vaulted ceiling. It came to rest on a young man with blazing red hair and fiery eyes. Kagura.

"Yo, I've been waiting for you," he said with a predatory grin.

Zessica was surprised that he could sense them, considering they were all still invisible. Then she remembered that the beast-like man seemed to rely on scent as much as sight.

"Come out and play," Kagura said, standing up. "Reverse!"

The party found their invisibility stripped off them in an instant. Amata gritted his teeth and faced off against Kagura.

"The scentless boy," Kagura sneered. He focused only on Amata.

"Zessica-san," Amata said softly. "You two go ahead without me and find Mikono-san. Something tells me that he's only here for me right now."

"Will you be alright?" Zessica asked, "The last time you faced him you ended up comatose for three days."

Amata frowned before smiling reassuringly. "I was less resolute back then," he answered, "this time, I've found a few answers."

Zessica still had her doubts, but she trusted Amata's judgment overall. "Alright, I'll be right back. Do your best."

She ran past Kagura, who made no effort to get in her way. The last she saw of them, Amata and Kagura were still squaring off, not moving a muscle. Izumo's guardsman, Corporal Ein as he had introduced himself, followed close behind. It didn't take long to reach what appeared to be the central chamber of the residence.

It was a massive room, about half of which was an artificial pond of some sort. The "pond" wrapped around the perimeter of the room, surrounding the pavilion at the center. There were two cages that seemed to be made of vines on opposite ends of the room. One was empty. The other held Mikono.

"Mikono!" Zessica shouted as she ran towards the cage. Corporal Ein slowly backed into the room, cautiously shouldering his rifle and scanning the area for threats.

"Zessica—san?" Mikono asked, looking like she was in a daze. She clapped her hands to her face. Suddenly more alert, she said, "This isn't a dream is it? You're really here?"

Zessica smiled, "Yes, I'm here. And so are a bunch of our friends. You didn't think we were going to leave you in enemy hands, did you?"

If Mikono was happy at hearing that news, she didn't show it. Instead, she seemed more panicked than ever. "Tell me Amata-kun didn't come along! That's what _he_ wants. If Amata-kun and Kagura-kun meet—that would be…"

"Would be what?" Zessica asked, suddenly on guard. She suspected that the "_he_" Mikono was referring to was Mykage. If so, then things were probably going to go downhill, fast.

"I don't know," the girl admitted, "but from what I've overheard, there's something he wants from the two of them, and me."

Zessica looked at the imprisoned girl with an expression of exasperation. "Look," she said, "We've come all this way to rescue you and we're not going to stop now. So let's get you out of there and worry about the repercussions later."

Zessica focused her power on the cage, twisting the vines against one another so that a space wide enough for Mikono to slip through opened between the bars. She helped the other girl down before asking, "Are you well enough to run?

When Mikono answered that she was, Zessica exclaimed, "Then let's go get Amata and get the hell out of here."

* * *

The two young men stood perfectly still, gauging each other. They both knew that as soon as one moved, it would trigger the start of something that could not be taken back.

"Well, Amata, you little weakling," Kagura sneered, "I see you finally managed to work up the courage to come to Altair. And it only took you over ten years."

"You're acting like we should know each other," Amata replied calmly.

"Of course. Because I'm you and you're me," Kagura answered. "Or are you telling me that you've forgotten the events of the day your…_our_ mother disappeared?"

Amata stared hard at the other boy. The words coming out of his mouth were pure madness, and yet, there was something compelling about them; like the memory of a dream long forgotten. There could be no way that he would ever forget the day his mother left him behind in the graveyard. That memory was burned right into his very soul.

As if to fill the silence, the red-haired young man added, "I should have realized it from the start. After all, a scentless person should not exist. The only one that I should not be able to smell—is myself."

Continuing on this subject would get nowhere, Amata concluded. So, he tried to change the subject. "What have you done to Mikono-san?"

"Mik—You mean my wench? Mykage promised that once I get rid of you, I'll have her all to myself," Kagura answered. "And then I'll be free to kill her all day long."

"The reason you're chasing after her—" Amata began.

Kagura finished, "is because I'm Apollon, and she is Silvie. I _will_ keep my promise from 12,000 years ago."

Amata frowned, "But if I'm you… that would make me Apollon as well."

Kagura threw his head back and roared with laughter. "That's rich," he scoffed. "Yes, I suppose that if I'm Apollon, you are too. But you're weak, barely a fragment of what he—we were. Even your love is weak."

Kagura dropped into a low fighting stance. "You're incapable of making her happy," he declared, "because your love for her is little more than a shadow of a memory of the love between me and Silvie. You might think that you are in love with her, but _that _is just a vestige of your previous life. There is no need for a weak copy of Apollon such as yourself. And so, you should just—disappear!"

Kagura charged at Amata, running on all fours like an animal. He was ridiculously fast, and Amata found himself hard pressed right from the start. He activated his power and flew upwards to gain some breathing room.

"Reverse!" Kagura shouted.

Amata found himself struggling to stay afloat. It was definitely easier to do so than the first few encounters he had with the young man. Was it because he was more sure of himself now? Whatever the case, he didn't crash back to the ground.

Seeing that his power wasn't working, Kagura switched to a different tactic. With a fast running start, he quickly climbed up one of the decorative pillars in the room and leapt towards Amata. Amata flew to the side, barely dodging a spinning kick.

"Reverse," Kagura declared as he landed, launching himself towards another pillar which he pushed off of as soon as he made contact. Amata blocked an overhead swipe and deflected the red-haired man to the side. But Kagura kept up this tactic and with each iteration of "Reverse," he grew faster and each blow became more forceful than the last. Amata figured that he needed some way to stop the other boy's momentum.

Unfortunately, Amata mistimed his counterattack and Kagura managed to tackle him into a pillar. Immediately afterwards, the other boy kicked off of Amata, knocking the air out of his lungs. Amata somehow managed to stay afloat. Struggling for air, he focused on the trajectory Kagura was taking on his return jump. At the last moment, Amata deactivated his power, falling down just underneath Kagura's path and then reactivated his power at full blast, pushing Kagura off balance as he passed by in mid-air. The other boy slammed into the pillar and fell down to the ground.

"Not bad for a weak-willed brat," he growled, picking himself off the ground. "But I'm going to kill you. You and Sylvie aren't destined to be with one another."

Amata flew downwards at him. "Sylvie, Sylvie, Sylvie," he said angrily, "Her name is Mikono-san!" He threw a punch that was easily blocked.

He continued, "Even if I didn't like her, I'd still have come on this mission, because she's an irreplaceable friend..." Kagura caught his fist.

"And even if she wasn't held captive, I'd still stand in the way of your so-called destiny..." Kagura caught his other fist.

"For the sake of all the people you've KILLED!" Amata headbutted Kagura in the face, causing the other boy to reel backwards.

Amata pressed his advantage and connected a blow to the other boy's stomach. This time, he felt himself getting lifted off the ground; it seemed Kagura had finally used his powers defensively. Doubling over coughing, Amata managed to cross his arms above his head to block an axe-kick.

"Quit your whining," Kagura shouted back. "The students that I killed were enemy soldiers. Did you forget? This is a war!"

Amata leapt backwards, rolling to avoid a kick to the face. As Kagura ran forwards, a shot rang out into the air. Kagura fell over, struck in the back of the shoulder by the round. He snarled and turned around. Amata looked past his foe in surprise; occupied as he was, Amata didn't notice Corporal Ein returning. Behind him stood Zessica and Mikono.

Corporal Ein took aim again. This time however, Kagura was prepared. With a glare that would have frozen the blood of any man, he reversed the trajectory of the second shot, causing it to hit the corporal in the arm. Amata used the moment's distraction to run up and pin the other young man down. It didn't last too long; Kagura kicked him off with the strength of a wild beast. Amata rolled to his feet again, prepared for anything.

"Stop fighting, you two!" Mikono screamed, putting herself between the two combatants, arms raised to her side. Again, she faced Amata as if _he_ were the one responsible for all of this and as if _Kagura_ were the one that needed protection. Even though he had steeled himself for this possibility, it still hurt that Mikono would choose to shield someone she barely knew because of some memories left over from a previous life.

"Mikono-san—," Amata began, trying to get the words out while choking back his emotions.

He didn't get a chance to finish what he was saying. Laughter echoed through the chamber and a violent gust of wind swept through the room, blowing a shower of rose petals into a miniature blizzard.

"That was quite an entertaining play," a disembodied voice commented. "A dog and his wings fighting each other over _that_. But that is quite enough comedy for the opening act."

"Mykage!" Kagura exclaimed. "Show yourself!"

Mikono screamed in pain, clutching at her head. Kagura and Amata both ran for her to see if they could help. Enemies though they were, the two were at least united in concern for the girl in front of them.

"Get—away—from me," Mikono pleaded, tears dripping down from between her fingers. A bluish glow enveloped her. "Please, you need to—"

* * *

Zessica watched in horror from her position in the hallway where she had been treating the corporal's wound as a bright light bathed the entire room in whiteness. When she was finally able to see again, Mikono was gone. Kagura and Amata had both disappeared as well. In their place stood a familiar looking man, with dark orange hair and a wild cast to his eyes. He wore Amata's clothing and his features were largely Amata's, but something about him seemed similar to Kagura as well.

"Sylvie!" he shouted at the ceiling, but Zessica also heard an anguished "Mikono-san!" at the same time.

* * *

*notes: Looks like Operation Altair is going to take up two chapters at least. I think I'll keep Izumo's curbstomping his enemies as mostly an off-screen thing; in video game terms, he's pretty much god-tier in the Ahura Gnis. Regarding the last scene, if it wasn't clear what happened, Amata and Kagura are once again one person due to Mikono's power of "Connection" going berserk because of Mykage's interference. As for what happened to the girl herself, that's a secret for now :P. Again, my next week will be busy but I plan on finishing the next chapter by Thursday or Friday. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Preview tentative title:

**Chapter 8: Discard and Draw**


	7. Chapter 8: Discard and Draw

**Chapter 8: Discard and Draw**

Amata found himself in a sort of waking dream. He tried to move his arm. It raised just as he had wanted. But all the while, there was a sense of detachment, as if the body he was moving wasn't his own. And, just moments ago, he felt someone else's voice call out after Mikono in anguish, except the name that was said was "Sylvie." Yet, in his mind, the two were one and the same. He became aware of a pressure against his mind, as though there was another presence there. Tentatively, he reached out for it.

"The weakling?" Kagura's voice echoed in his head. "Get out of my mind!"

Amata felt a force shoving him deeper into the darkness. He fought back against it, struggling to retain control of himself.

"Your mind?" Amata questioned, "get out of mine!"

As the two fought for dominance, Amata was only vaguely aware of the body he inhabited dropping to its knees into a slump. Through a vision that didn't seem to be his, Amata saw Zessica running to him, followed by that soldier with a fresh bandage over his shoulder—what was his name again? Oh right, Corporal Ein.

"Amata?" Zessica asked, clearly worried. She pulled him to his feet. "You are Amata, right?" Her eyes were pleading, praying that the boy in front of her would answer.

"Yes," Amata answered, forcing his mouth to move. But as he did, he also felt Kagura answer with, "No, get away from me!"

He felt his arms lifting to shove Zessica away. Amata wouldn't be able to bear it if he hurt the girl in front of him; the one who had stuck by him even through all his mistakes. He willed his arms down with as much energy as he could muster. The two who had been locked in mental combat earlier now found themselves focusing every ounce of their being into performing two conflicting actions while in the same body.

The physical struggle was too much for the vessel their minds were merged in. The body collapsed back onto the ground, lying perfectly still as Amata and Kagura recovered from their exhaustion.

Amata reached out to Kagura's consciousness. "We're not going to get anywhere fast like this," he admitted.

Amata could sense the shock Kagura was feeling as he answered, "I didn't expect a weakling like you to give me this much trouble."

Amata thought hard about what the two of them could do. He didn't want to give control of his body to Kagura and he figured that the reverse was also true. Their goals were just too different to find a common interest to work together towards; Amata wanted nothing more than to get Mikono back to Neo-DEAVA and who knows what Kagura wanted besides "to kill" her? He decided the best thing to do was to confront Kagura about his motivations since it seemed the two of them would be stuck together whether they liked it or not.

"Why do you want to kill Mikono-san?" Amata asked. "What has she ever done to you?"

Amata felt a sensation of incredulity from the other presence. "Kill her?" Kagura replied. "I don't want to kill her! I _love_ her. I want her to be happy. I will do anything for her, so you'd better stay out of my way!"

That wasn't what Amata had expected at all. Most of what he could remember Kagura saying had been threatening. "That's not what you said every time I've encountered you so far," Amata countered.

This time, his remark was met with a feeling of amusement from Kagura. "I never meant any of that," his counterpart answered. "What I say is often the reverse of what I think, moron. You should have figured that out by now."

It was odd that Kagura actually sounded moderately civil for once; even his insults had been toned down a notch. It seemed being trapped in the same body with nothing to do brought out the talkative side in both of them. Amata had one last question for the other presence.

"How is it that I can understand you perfectly now?"

"I have no clue," Kagura answered, and from the puzzled emotion radiating from the other presence, Amata knew he was telling the truth. "Maybe it's because I'm not really talking?"

The two of them remained silent for some time. Amata was vaguely aware of Zessica and Corporal Ein draping the arms of his and Kagura's body over their shoulders and dragging it down the hallway. Zessica kept complaining about how heavy he was. It might have been his imagination, but she looked pretty satisfied about the situation at the same time.

Wait, that could be it. If Kagura wanted to rescue Mikono as badly as her did, then there was the possibility that…

Amata tried a different approach.

"Kagura, you want to save Mikono-san, right?"

The other boy wasted no time in answering, "Of course I do. But knowing that bastard Mykage... Grr—give me control of the body, I need to go after her immediately or—"

"Will you shut up and listen for a moment?" Amata exclaimed. "We have the same goal, so why don't we work together to do this? I hate to have to rely on you, but you seem to know our enemy better than I. Plus…we can use your combat skills, much as it irks me to say that. However, I have something you don't."

Kagura growled, "And what would that be?"

"Allies."

* * *

Zessica turned to face the boy she was carrying across her shoulder as he stirred. She wasn't sure what to think of him. Was he Kagura? Amata? It was too confusing for her to want to deal with. Still, she knew Amata was somewhere within him; even if he hadn't answered her question, she could sense it.

"Are you alright? Um, Amat—Kagu—whoever you are?" she asked. She hoped it was Amata, even if he looked a bit different now.

The boy gave her a smile. "It's Amata, for the moment. Kagura and I have struck a bit of a deal regarding who's in control of the body; it'll hold at least until we get Mikono-san back."

Zessica must have looked a little crestfallen, because Amata added, "We'll find some way to fix this, together. I'm sure the Supreme Commander will spout some of his cryptic randomness, send us somewhere for training from hell, and everything will work out alright."

Even though he didn't sound very sure of himself, what Amata said gave Zessica hope. Amata took his arms off Zessica and Corporal Ein's shoulders and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a communication device and contacted Yunoha.

"Yunoha-san, we're on our way back," he said. "Can you prep the Vectors for launch?"

"About time, you inconsiderate dou—" Yunoha responded. Everyone in the room did a double-take; the shy voice hadn't changed much, but the words—. There was a small gasp from the other side of the transmission. "I'm sorry, Amata-san. I don't know what just—Ok, I'll do what you asked."

"Do you think the 'Curse of Eve' is starting to affect her?" Zessica asked, worried for her friend. She had been feeling a little off as well, but it hadn't gotten bad enough to trouble her yet.

"It could be," Amata replied. "We'd better hurry then."

The party took off running. However, when they reached the entrance, the whole building shook and part of the ceiling caved in, cleaved open by a sword-wielding monstrosity outside of the building. Rubble began falling towards the group.

"Reverse!"

The debris falling towards them halted their freefall and shot straight upwards, colliding with the mech that was outside. Amata had a cocky grin on his face.

"You saved us, Amata," Zessica said, surprised that he had access to Kagura's ability of "Reversal."

"Sorry to disappoint you," the young man replied, "but it's Kagura now. And I'm only doing this because I can't rescue Sylvie alone. I really couldn't care less about any of you otherwise."

"Aren't you the social one?" Zessica said, glaring at him.

Suddenly, his expression changed back, becoming softer. "Sorry about that," Amata apologized, "He has a bit of a one-track mind…and a distinct lack of social skills."

As they were talking, the mech outside had recovered and prepared to attack again. Amata lifted Zessica off her feet and flew outside, leaving Corporal Ein inside. The soldier ducked behind some fallen rubble and shouted at them.

"Hey, you know what? Don't worry about me. I'll just stay here. I think that thing's after you two anyway, so the further from me you get, the better it is for me."

It turned out the corporal's guess was correct because the odd machine, which was navy blue in color with white markings, turned and gave chase after Amata and Zessica. It was a completely new enemy in design, slim and vaguely humanoid, like a stick figure with overly long legs drawn by a child. It also looked like it could deal some lethal damage, wielding two slim blades which seemed directly attached to its wrist.

It caught up to them rather quickly and swiped downwards with one blade. Zessica found herself dropped as the young man holding her spun around and shouted "Reverse," pushing the blade to the side. Although she had only been falling for a second or so before Amata caught her in a bridal carry, she felt fully justified in pouting at the rough treatment.

"You're a jerk, Amata," she shouted at him over the rush of the wind whipping past them.

"Hey," he protested, "That was Kagura that dropped you, not me."

If Zessica was worried about being dropped again, the thought was wasted, because less than five seconds later, a Vector came swooping out of the sky, peppering the enemy unit with beams. The attack bought the two Element-users some breathing room. As Amata continued towards where they had stored their Vectors, Zessica had a perfect view of the battle between the Vector, presumably piloted by Yunoha, and the unknown enemy. Yunoha seemed to be flying unusually aggressively, looping around for strafing runs and then barely dodging counterattacks at the last moment.

Zessica jumped into her cockpit. True to her word, Yunoha had started up the machine, so Zessica could take off immediately. It took no time at all to get back to Yunoha, who was doing a good job pestering the enemy craft, but not dealing much damage.

"Alright Amata," Zessica called over the intercom. "Let's do this. I'll be the head for this Union."

"Go! Infiltration Union! Aquarion!" Zessica shouted.

The warm bliss that accompanied a Union enveloped Zessica, her body shaking with the rapture of the experience. She could feel Amata's soul brushing against her own, kind and gentle.

"This feeling welling up—it's—" Zessica couldn't help crying out. She gripped her controls. Even if Amata was in the same body as Kagura, she would keep her promise to help him in any way she could. And right now, "helping" meant demolishing the enemy before them.

* * *

Perhaps it was because his soul was already linked to someone else's, but the sensations accompanying this Union overwhelmed Amata. He could feel Zessica and Yunoha out there, but some force brought his and Kagura's souls together into what could only be described as a collision.

A rush of memories that were not his own rushed through his head. An eternally smiling face, softer but yet more sinister than Supreme Commander Fudo's, staring at him through a cage of thorny vines. Looking down at a defeated opponent from the vantage point of his Mithra Gnis, then bringing the axe down in a coup-de-grace. Pain, loneliness, despair, hatred, fear…these were only emotions Amata could feel from the visions.

Then, suddenly, a miracle. A chance scent encountered on a routine trip to the other world. Something nostalgic that he couldn't quite place, but his soul cried out in joy. A girl who seemed a stranger, yet more familiarly intimate than the word "lover" could ever describe. He gave chase…

Defeat—he had never been beaten before. But, even as he returned home in a damaged machine, he felt complete for the first time in his life. He had found something, an emotion he didn't know the word for. He looked it up afterwards. Two words matched his search. Joy…and hope.

Amata realized that these memories were Kagura's. Even though the other young man had been an enemy for so long, Amata couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Encountering Mikono really had been the only good thing that had ever occurred to the boy.

Another memory. Amata recognized it as the night when Mikono had been taken to Altair. Kagura ran through the streets with Mikono on his back. Through the vision, Amata felt elation, but also desperation; pursuit was sure to come and he had to find some way to bring Mikono to Altair safely. And then there was the problem with the "Curse of Eve." Kagura shook his head; he _had_ to believe that the girl on his back was the "True Eve." Amata was startled by the sheer amount of concern Kagura felt for Mikono.

The continuation of the events of that night. Mikono had finally regained consciousness. The two of them were at the building where Amata had confronted Kagura. She seemed frightened and wary of him at first. She confronted him about his motives, why he was pursuing her. Eventually, her fright gave way to empathy as she began to understand him and how his words were distorted. No one had ever understood him like her before; it strengthened the boy's devotion to the reincarnation of Sylvie even more. Through the connection he had to Kagura, Amata could feel the strength of his adoration for Mikono. She _understood_ him. That was all that mattered.

A final memory. He woke, once again, in the cage of thorny vines. Across from him, Mikono was in a similar cage. The ever-smiling face was there again, mocking him, taunting him with something he desired just out of reach. He threw himself against the bars, not caring how much the thorns wounded him. Again and again and again…

Amata snapped back into consciousness, gasping for air. A screen opened on his viewport, showing a very concerned looking Zessica.

"Amata, are you ok? You went silent right after we Unioned—" she asked.

He rubbed his forehead. Those visions—there was no denying that they were real; it seemed for a moment that he _was_ Kagura. And, if the feelings he felt through the memories were true, the other young man was not lying about his love for Mikono. His love wasn't even based on the events of 12,000 years ago, that was merely an excuse to salve his pride; Kagura had fallen for Mikono solely because she was the only person who had ever made him feel like an individual. Compared to Kagura who had completely devoted himself to her, what were Amata's feelings?

"I'm fine, Zessica," he finally replied. "I'm still getting used to sharing this body."

The enemy was brutally swift in melee. Zessica maneuvered the Aqaurion Spada well, but she was having a hard time dealing with the rapid swings and spinning slashes of her foe. A pirouetting kick made her leap back some more. They were losing ground.

"Yunoha! I'm going to switch to the bow," Zessica called out, "turn us invisible so I can get some range."

"Dammit, who died and made you th—," Yunoha exclaimed, before covering her mouth with both hands and complying. She gasped and whispered a soft "Sorry" before disappearing as well. The atmosphere of Altair was definitely getting to her.

Invisibility didn't work either. The enemy seemed to be tracking their movements despite the lack of a visual. Although the enemy's attacks became wilder, it still seemed to know exactly where the Aquarion was. It wasn't until Amata looked down and noticed that they were making footprints in the rubble on the ground that he realized why. While Jin was an excellent ally and a good friend, the information he had gathered for Altair before his defection was really coming back to haunt them.

A low sweep sent the Spada sprawling to the ground. As the machine crashed to the earth around him, Amata found himself hurled into the darkness once more. He spun about, starting to feel nauseous when he hit the ground hard. He was inside an old looking room. Stone walls by the look of things, a positively ancient looking computer to one side, three beds, and plaster falling off the walls.

Awaiting him there were Kagura and a young man he didn't recognize. Yet, something about the wild-looking newcomer called out to him; a stranger that he should know better than anyone else. He had a cross-shaped scar across his cheek and wore a vest, baggy shorts, and a wide grin.

"Yo, about time you got here," the boy said in a friendly manner. "So you're the other half of me?"

"Who?" Amata asked.

"I'm you," he answered with a grin. And, pointing to Kagura, "And I suppose I'm him too. But both of you are also me."

It clicked inside Amata's head. "You're Apollon?"

"Apollo," the boy corrected. "No 'n.' I had to correct the other me as well; I guess not everything can survive 12,000 years of wear and tear."

Amata found himself accepting the young man's explanation. He had travelled across dimensions, fought someone who had claimed to be him, been shoved into one body with said 'someone,' all in one day. One more piece of insanity added to the lot wouldn't make much of a difference.

"So, why am I here?" Amata questioned.

"Who knows?" Apollo answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Perhaps it's because the two halves that made up my original soul have been reunited within the Aquarion. Or perhaps it's because you two are coming to understand one another rather than fighting the moment you lay eyes on one another. Or maybe it's because someone out there is manipulating events beyond our understanding."

"We get your point," Kagura growled. "But how does that help us right now? We're in the middle of a fight here and as far as I can tell, none of us are in control of our body right now."

"I believe I can help with that," Apollo said with a cocky grin on his face. "Since I don't know how long I'll be allowed to stick around, let me give you two some advice."

Sighing, the boy said, "But first, I want to apologize to the two of you. Because of what I promised 12,000 years ago, the two of you have been dancing to the strings of fate. And it seems that she has been reincarnated into this era as well; Silvia always was headstrong when it came to getting what she wanted."

"I know that you, at least, don't mind keeping the promise I made," he remarked, looking straight at Kagura. The other boy crossed his arms, but nodded.

"You, however," Apollo continued, turning to Amata. "You don't seem to buy into the idea of destiny and are less sure of what you want. So, my advice to you is to follow your heart and don't be afraid of a misstep, because you have good friends to help you get back up, like I did in the past. Destiny is a suggestion, usually not a bad one either, but the choice is yours whether you want to follow it or not."

It was good advice and Amata knew it. He thanked Apollo for his words.

The other boy just laughed at that and exclaimed, "It feels weird getting thanked by myself. But I think my time is up, so let me see about returning you two to the present. You can do it by focusing on someone close to you in the real world; not close physically, but emotionally."

Amata immediately thought of Mikono-san. But as he did, doubts entered his mind; after all this time, he finally realized he barely knew the girl he thought he loved. The image shifted, to his mother, to Izumo, to Supreme Commander Fudo…on and on like a roulette before it finally stopped on one face.

As Amata began to regain consciousness, he became aware of another flood of memories entering his mind. Memories of the time Apollo had spent with Sylvia, memories of battles fought and friends gained or lost and, perhaps most important to the present, memories of combat strategies against the strange new enemy they were fighting, beings that were once called the "Shadow Angels." Silently, he thanked Apollo for this last gift of his.

_Follow his heart, huh? He intended to do just that._

* * *

Zessica was having a lot of trouble keeping up with the movements of the enemy machine. It was dual wielding weapons, which made it even harder to defend against. Unlike a human opponent who would usually favor one hand over the other, the enemy unit was equally skilled with the weapon in either hand. It didn't help matters that Amata kept falling in and out of consciousness ever since he merged with Kagura.

The Spada was pushed back into a building by a twin strike. Zessica had managed to block both swords with her shield, but the force of the blow was too much to absorb. The world shook around her as rubble came raining down from above.

"This doesn't look good," Zessica mumbled. The indicators on her HUD showed that her own aura levels were dropping; any further and the Union would be in jeopardy. She forced the Spada to its feet, using the sword to prop it up. Suddenly, Amata appeared next to her in Astral form.

"Damn it Amata," she practically screamed at him. "Will you ever stop making me worr—."

"Sorry, Zessica," he apologized. "I had an important encounter just now. It doesn't excuse me leaving you to this fight all by yourself; not after all you've done for me. But thanks to _him_ or me, rather, I've learned some things about myself."

Zessica gaped at him, wondering if the strange experiences of the day had finally driven the boy she cared about to insanity. He didn't look insane, at least.

He rubbed the back of his head, "How should I put this? Um—Why is this so damn hard?"

Suddenly his expression changed, becoming more fierce.

"You're the biggest idiot I've ever met, Amata," he growled. Evidently Kagura had taken over. "Stop being such a pathetic excuse of a weakling and just tell her outright that you're developing feelings for her! Just being in the same body as you and having to share your memories is sickening!"

Zessica could only stare at him in shock. It was everything she could have hoped for, but under the current situation, the timing of everything threw her off guard.

His expression changed back to normal, "Screw you Kagura! I don't interfere with your—ok, so I do, but—"

He realized that Zessica was looking at him. Sighing resolutely, he looked her in the eyes and said words that engraved themselves into Zessica's memory to be preserved for all time.

"Kagura's right, I need to man up about this now that I've come this far," Amata began. "Ever since my mother disappeared, I've never really felt close to anyone before. I suppose that's what attracted me to Mikono-san at first; because we were so similar. I thought I was ready at last to love someone. But now I realize that what I came to love about her wasn't Mikono-san herself, but the _concept_ of loving someone and of being there for someone when they needed you most; of watching them grow and become stronger through their own efforts."

He paused, clearly thinking about his next words. "Apollo gave me some advice. 'Follow your heart,' he said. And my heart is still telling me to rescue Mikono-san. But what I want, what I _really_ want, is to do it with you. I like you. More than like, actually. I want to be with you, fight together with you against what fate may bring, share good times and trying times with you. I—"

He tried to say the words, but they just refused to come out. Zessica felt a bit of fear, _perhaps he hadn't really thought it over enough yet? _But then, without hesitation, he brought his lips down to meet hers. It was as if the universe had just come into existence; a beautiful miracle that gave birth to endless possibilities. Even though it was just an Astral projection, Zessica could feel his emotions through the bond they shared inside the vessel called "Aquarion." Zessica closed her eyes, cherishing the moment. A warning siren sounded in her cockpit, a large heart appearing in the middle of the screen, pulsing to the beat of her own heart. All the gauges charting the Aquarion's systems spiked. And all around them, the city grew dark. The red energy of the Ianthe, the system that sustained the infrastructure of the planet, now poured into the blade of the Spada; dyeing it a bright crimson.

"Let me guide your movements Zessica," Amata said, as his hands folded on top of her own. They were as warm as the sun's rays on a cloudless day.

The Aquarion danced under their guidance, forwards, stepping, gliding, ever forwards. The spinning onslaught of their enemy slowed and then stopped; overwhelmed by the Spada's relentless advance. Amata seemed to know when each attack would commence, where each strike would be aimed. The Spada dodged and deflected each easily. The Aquarion then dropped low and struck its opponent with its shield, knocking it off balance.

Seeing their chance, Zessica, Amata, and Yunoha all cried out, "Take this! For the sake of both worlds, 'Twin World's Resolve Slash!"

The resulting strike sent out a brilliant scarlet beam in the shape of a crescent moon, neatly bisecting the enemy machine. It continued on for some distance, not stopping until after it reached Mykage's residence where it cleaved a perfect vertical line through the center of the main building.

* * *

Mykage watched the whole scene from his chamber within his residence. The red blade of the Aquarion's attack had passed by less than three meters from where he was lounging. He barely gave it a passing glance. With a wave of his left hand, the damage to his home repaired itself; the disjoined halves melting together to, once again, form a complete whole.

Mykage switched to watching over Vega and his smile turned upwards ever so slightly. Everything was proceeding almost exactly as he had wanted. Although he would have liked to have gotten that insurance against Izumo's meddling, that was a secondary concern. The "Wings of the Sun" was finally awakening, albeit slowly, from its 12,000 year slumber. More importantly, he possessed the most important piece of them all, one that would guarantee success.

He intended to win this game he was playing with Apollonius. For while it was played over millennia, where actions taken so far into the past that their very memory becomes questionable may impact future moves, it was still a game. _Just wait Apollonius, my treacherous love,_ he thought. _Await your reckoning, for I am coming. Inevitably, as the moon inevitably will shine down upon the earth._

* * *

*Notes: A bit of a mix of character development and action, but hopefully more of the former. I had deliberated a bit on whether to make Amata and Kagura's fusion more complete but in the end, the potential of keeping both personalities completely intact won over; they're sort of like Doubleujah from Gundam 00 right now. Apollo makes a cameo and now I get an excuse to stop having to refer to them as Apollon and Silvie anymore, woohoo! (His saying, "someone out there is manipulating events beyond our understanding" is totally not me using him to build that excuse; really…I swear.)

Amata finally gets his act together after having talk sessions with about 4 different characters; still doesn't have enough courage worked up to say the words outright, but at least the poor boy is trying. To those of you who actually like the canon ship, I find that Zessica makes a better pair with him overall due to their more complimentary personalities and how their interactions in canon were more naturally worked into the script than Mikono/Amata. Kagura's looking a bit tsundere, tsun to almost an extreme to anyone not named Mikono, which is actually not too far off from canon, I guess. Oh yeah, smack-talking Yunoha was fun to write here. Just wait until Jin meets up with the crew…

Preview Title:

**Chapter 9: Stage Left**


	8. Omake: Question and Answer Session

Aquarion Evol: Dimension Divergence

**Chapter 8.5: Omake- Question and Answer Session**

A bright spotlight shone onto the Supreme Commander's chair within the Neo-DEAVA command center. Somewhere off to the side, the sound of a drum-roll rang out, echoing through the chamber. A second spotlight switched on, illuminating Chairwoman Crea, who was daintily chewing a chocolate donut.

"Oh my, are we starting already?" she asked. "I didn't realize it was time, my apologies."

She coughed elegantly into her glove, turned, and bowed to an audience that was sitting in the darkness of the command room. "Welcome everyone, to the question-and-answer session we of Neo-DEAVA have decided to host for all you viewers and readers out there. I'm Chairwoman Crea, also called the Headmistress in this AU because it's a title that means almost the same thing and sounds better as a title. And now to introduce your host, the one and only…Supreme Commander Fudo Zen!"

The Supreme Commander's chair swiveled around to reveal the ever smiling leader of Neo-DEAVA, dressed as always in his expensive and somewhat antiquated red suit. He had one leg crossed over the other with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded together beneath his chin. Scattered applause met his appearance.

"Thank you for your warm welcome," the Supreme Commander beamed arrogantly. "Although it is important to train in order to gain the strength necessary to reach our goals, there is one element to the human condition that is even more important. _Knowledge_. And so, we have with us today a very special guest who is here to answer our queries. The writer of this alternate world-line, the one who calls himself…Nanaya88!"

The sound of a chair rolling across the ground rumbled through the room quietly. A spotlight switched on and attempted to catch up and illuminate the source of the noise. Suddenly, the chair tipped off-balance and clattered to the ground, spilling the occupant onto the floor. Or, it _would_ have spilled the occupant off had he not been chained and locked to it.

"Ow!" Nanaya88 exclaimed. "What gives? I _said_ I wasn't going to run away from this already."

Instructor Donar Dantes picked him and the chair up off the floor. "I must have missed that memo," he remarked, adjusting his mechanical hands with a sharp click. "My mistake."

The instructor fumbled around with some keys for a moment and began unlocking the locks that kept the writer in place. One full minute and 20 padlocks later, Nanaya88 rubbed his wrists, finally freed from the seat.

"Alright," he said, "I guess I'm as ready as possible for your questions."

"Excellent," the Supreme Commander said. "Amata Sora, you drew the first lot, go ahead. And remember—"

A large sign unfurled in the back of the room. In large letters painted on with a calligraphy brush were the words "SPOILERS ARE FORBIDDEN."

The young orange-haired boy stood up in the audience; a spotlight moved over him. Blinking and shielding his eyes from the glare, he asked, "Ok, I get why you'd write the story with more of a focus on developing my relationship with Zessica-san rather than Mikono-san considering the events that have occurred so far, but how do you justify making me suddenly abandon the feelings I have for Mikono-san?"

Nanaya88 stared hard at the young man. Then, with a slight twist upwards at the corners of his mouth, he answered, "Who said anything about 'abandoning' those feelings? They haven't changed. What's changed is your own perspective on what constitutes love after you experienced Kagura's unwavering devotion and your past self's feelings for Silvia through their memories."

After a brief pause, he added, "You didn't think I was going to make you a harem lead or anything did you?"

At those words, Amata's face turned red. He began to lift off his feet as he continued to think on what the writer had said. And then, suddenly, he shot straight upwards where he collided with the ceiling. Everyone in the room watched the event with amused expressions.

"You know, I can see why Zessica keeps teasing you. That _was_ rather fun to do," Nanaya88 remarked. The boy continued to flail about on the ceiling, trying to regain his balance.

"Next up, MIX!" the Supreme Commander shouted.

The girl stood up and adjusted her glasses, causing the reflection of the light from the spotlight to hide her eyes. "When will I get a perspective segment?"

Nanaya88 hesitated, wondering if answering would constitute a "spoiler." He finally relented and replied, "The next time Andy's ego needs some deflating, I'll let you know."

"Hey!" the young man wearing a beanie in the back row exclaimed. "That was uncalled for!" However, MIX sat back down with a slightly satisfied expression on her face.

The Supreme Commander looked at the list of names he had in front of him. "Zessica Wong, time for your question."

"So, I was watching our series and noticed that there was a beach episode…" she began.

The writer took note of Zessica's outfit, "Isn't every scene you're in pretty much a beach episode?"

"Don't make me hurt you," she growled threateningly. The energy behind her glare was probably enough to weld steel.

"I'm just joking," Nanaya88 said swiftly. "There'll be time for fun and games in future chapters, but I won't say right now if there'll specifically be a beach scene. We're in the middle of a pretty important arc right now in terms of moving the plot so worrying about that right now is a bit extraneous."

Fudo Zen looked at the next name on the list, "Suomi Conebi"

The nun/instructor stood up next to Donar Dantes, smoothing her habit. "When will I get to do anything important?"

Nanaya88 scratched his head. "Did you ever do anything worthwhile within canon?"

At the sight of the woman's crestfallen face and Instructor Dantes' darkening expression, the writer chuckled, "Don't worry, this isn't canon. You two will play a role in events down the line. Come to think of it, that whole "Adam and Eve" thing Headmistress Crea said canonically was pretty hilarious…"

At which, Donar's jaw dropped. "Y-y-you wouldn't," he stuttered, pointing a finger at the guest.

The man being questioned just smiled back, glad to have the upper hand for once.

Fudo Zen checked the list again, "Seeing as how Suzushiro Mikono is indisposed at the moment, we'll skip her and move to the next person, Suzushiro Cayenne."

A stoic-looking young man in military fatigues stood up. He glared at Nanaya88. "Tell me where my sister is—," he said in a threatening voice.

The writer looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry, I can't do that," he finally answered. "That would constitute a 'spoiler' and if you had that information right now, you'd probably end up getting yourself killed along with whoever goes to help you, thus throwing this alternate universe in an undesirable direction."

Shrade Elan stood up and patted Cayenne gently on the back, "Don't worry, my friend, we'll get through this trial together. But for now, I believe it is my turn to ask as question."

The Supreme Commander confirmed his statement.

"Very well," Shrade said. "Do you intend to keep all the reincarnations from canon intact?"

"I do," Nanaya88 replied. "For this story, characters will have their backstories remain intact. How their backgrounds are presented may differ and their motivations may change over the course of writing, but the starting point will remain the same."

Shrade thanked the writer and sat back down.

"Final question!" Fudo Zen announced, his voice echoing throughout the room. "Andy W. Hol!"

"Alright!" the boy shouted, "It's finally my turn!"

He looked at Nanaya88 expectantly. "When will I get to have a mixed-gender Union?"

A collective groan filled the room. MIX gave a small sigh, shook her head from side to side, and sidled over try and appear as if she had no connection to the boy who had just asked a question.

The writer gave Andy a pitying look. Then, he took a glance at his watch and said, in a complete monotone, "Well, would you look at the time. I really must be going." And with that, the writer disappeared from the room without a trace.

"Oh, come on," Andy moaned."What the hell? That was an important question!"

* * *

Notes: The AU's first bonus chapter which has no bearing on actual events within the storyline. I might make another segment in the same vein based on comments I've received regarding specific events to clarify things, so if you have any questions or concerns about my writing, feel free to PM me or leave something in a review.


	9. Chapter 9: Stage Left

**Chapter 9: Stage Left**

Amata was still in a daze as they flew back towards the spot everyone had agreed to meet at once they had completed their tasks. At least his head was now clear of his confusion surrounding Mikono and Kagura; he didn't intend to get in their way anymore if it made Mikono happy being with him. Reliving Apollo's memories had shown him that he still had a lot to learn about what it meant to love someone; he had never felt anything as strong as the passion between him and Silvia within those visions.

What was captivating his thoughts now was what he had said to Zessica. He had meant every word of what he had said; he really did want to be together with her. But again, compared to those memories, he wasn't sure how she fit in. There was a bit of physical attraction, he admitted, and she had been more supportive than he probably deserved, but Amata wished there was someone neutral he could talk to who wouldn't laugh at him about it.

It didn't make matters easier that Kagura kept insisting in his head that they turn around and search for Mikono (Kagura actually said Silvia, but Amata felt that referring to someone by their past identity was odd.) He managed to talk him down; if the "Curse of Eve" was taking effect, the number one priority was to get the girls off Altair. Kagura reluctantly agreed to Amata's course of action; he knew that he would need help in order to wrest Mikono away from Mykage's grasp.

"Heads up, we've got company," Zessica said over the intercom. About three dozen blips lit up on Amata's HUD, showing the location of enemy units.

"What do you think? Should we use the Gepard?" Amata asked.

"Makes sense," Zessica replied, sounding a little strained. "It's probably best suited for this type of work."

"You're not going to leave me out of this, are you?" a new voice said, interrupting their conversation. A second screen opened in Amata's viewport to show Jin.

Moments later, Jin's machine came into view, descending from the cloud cover above them. The unit looked heavily armored; hexagonal patches joined together to give Jin's Radius Gnis a somewhat bulky look. Amata thought that it was an odd machine for Jin to be piloting considering mechs he had used back when he fought against Neo-DEAVA.

"Jin!" Amata exclaimed, "Where were you?"

"I tried scanning for you guys near Mykage's but nothing showed up so I ended up flying out a little further in search of you guys. I didn't actually know where you all disappeared to until my scanners picked up your fight. By that time I was about 40 km away," the boy explained. "Oh yeah, I sent Ein and Zwei ahead of me towards the meeting area; I'm surprised they haven't caught up to you."

"Well, glad you made it in time," Amata replied. "Because we have incoming and we're short on time."

"Acknowledged. I'll handle this one," Jin said. "Time to field test the Akhtar System."

The hexagonal plates that Amata had thought were armor plates scattered off Jin's Radius Gnis like leaves off a tree in a heavy gale. Each one was self-propelled and moved swiftly towards where the enemy formation was approaching from. Without any "armor," Jin's machine looked very slim; an unpainted skeleton frame.

"You're not going to try and negotiate with them?" Amata asked incredulously.

"I hacked into their communication systems," Jin explained. "And believe me when I say that trying to reason with people _that_ deep in Mykage's thrall is not going to work."

The sky suddenly filled with beams of light as the individual drones Jin had sent out began to attack the enemy formation in unison. Scattered explosions rang through the air as the mass produced units began to take hits. On the viewing screen, Jin was looking intently at his own monitor as the battle data came in.

"Response time seems a little slow still. I'll need to tweak that," he muttered. "I'm also getting about 150 milliseconds of lag between targeting and firing, that'll need to be looked into."

The hexagon shaped attack drones removed themselves from the fight and returned to Jin's unit, fitting together snugly to form that heavy looking armor once more. About half the enemy units had been shot down and the rest looked like they had taken at least some damage.

"Um, Jin?" Zessica asked, "Not to nag or anything, but why didn't you finish the job?"

"The drones were running low on energy," he explained, "They can't keep up sustained fire for long without draining their reserves. I need to fix that for the final version, but seeing as how we're on a time limit, that's the best I can do for now."

The rest of the enemy formation was starting to reorganize themselves. Worse yet, a few of the "shot down" units were picking themselves up, having lost their capacity for flight, but not for combat.

"Geez, men are so useless," Yunoha exclaimed, causing Jin to look up in shock. With a predatory grin that did not suit her face at all, she said in her usual cutely quiet voice, "Let me show you who wears the pants in our relationship, Jin-kun!"

Amata was stunned silent, but over on the viewing screen, he noticed Zessica trying hard (and failing) to stifle her laughter. Yunoha flew her Vector ahead of the group.

"Let's do this!" she exclaimed. "Role Reversal Union! Go Aquarion!"

The three Vectors smoothly integrated to form the Aquarion Gepard. Yunoha giggled madly as she pulled the triggers on her controls. Streams of ammunition poured from the Gepard's twin guns and all the missiles fired simultaneously from the Aquarion's shoulder mounted launchers. It was a beautifully devastating sight to behold; shortly followed by a massive explosion that completely obliterated every single enemy machine in one brief, spectacular blast.

"Instant Kill: Bullet Hell," Yunoha declared as the light from the explosion faded away. There was something very, very, disconcerting about that childlike voice making those particular words sound cheerful.

Kagura's voice suddenly filled Amata's head. "Interesting…If all of your allies are this ferocious, perhaps we have a chance against Mykage after all."

"That's just the 'Curse of Eve' acting," Amata thought back. If Kagura heard, he gave no indication of it.

"See that Jin-kun?" Yunoha exclaimed over the communication channel. "_That's_ how you clear the way for a lady." She giggled some more and hugged her doll to her chest.

It took about five minutes for Jin to recover his capacity for speech.

As the four flew towards the designated meeting point, he finally managed to ask, "Will someone please explain to me what just happened?"

* * *

Donar Dantes was put in charge of managing the evacuees from Altair. At first, everyone at Neo-DEAVA, with the exception of the Supreme Commander, had been panicking over the dropships appearing through the dimension gate. The academy was simply not equipped to deal with a large-scale invasion; an oversight that would have to be rectified. Many a sigh of relief was breathed when they realized that the troop-carriers were broadcasting the signal that Izumo had established with Neo-DEAVA as a sign that an arrival through the gate was friendly.

The dimension gate had been holding steady for over three hours now; Andy certainly had his work cut out for him. Harsh as he was with the boy for his antics, Donar had to admit that the young man took his responsibilities seriously. He hoped the mission was going well for everyone on the other side; the technicians hadn't figured out how to send a signal through the gate to the other side yet.

The infirmary was already completely packed with wounded soldiers coming in through the dimension gate. They had been forced to set up tents in the school grounds so that enough room was available for people requiring medical assistance. At last count, 315 men from Altair had come in through the portal, almost a third of whom were wounded. It would be hard to find enough room to house everyone within the academy itself, they would probably need to find living quarters within the city itself.

"Get a move on," he shouted at some passing students. "We need more tents set up in the courtyard on the double!"

He followed them into the courtyard where Suomi was busy with overseeing the distribution of medical supplies. She was struggling under the weight of a crate of bandages while simultaneously trying to instruct the nearest group of students on where to go to get more. _For the love of—,_ Donar thought, _that woman tries to do too much at the same time_. He walked over to her and took the large box out of her hands.

"I can handle it myself," she protested. "No need for you to trouble yourself over it."

"I've got it," Donar insisted. "I was going to head over to the tents to check up on the situation there, so I might as well kill two birds with one stone and bring this over too."

She still looked a little insulted that Donar was helping her out so he added, "Tell you what. Why don't you see if you can get some of the students I'm in charge of to help out with carrying supplies? We don't really need that many to tally and organize the newcomers now that the flow of incoming dropships has slowed and you're better at managing them than I am. The boys I can handle, but the girls seem a bit intimidated by my presence."

She thought it over for a few moments, but finally relented. Donar hefted the crate onto his shoulder and walked off towards the tent, relieved that she didn't try to grab the box away from him. If she had really pushed the issue, he didn't think he would have been able to win that argument.

The tents were set up in neat rows and columns on the academy grounds. The soldiers that required immediate medical attention were all in the infirmary, but there were plenty of people with minor to moderate wounds to look after. Groans of pain filled the air and students rushed from tent to tent to treat the injured. Donar pushed open the flap to the largest tent, presumably where the supplies would be kept.

"Oh, Instructor Dantes," the male student sitting at the table in front of where the piles of supplies were kept said. "One of the soldiers was asking after you."

"After me?" Donar repeated, puzzled that someone from Altair would know of him.

"Well, not by name," the student admitted. "He wanted to talk to someone with the authority to make military decisions. That would mean either you, Headmistress Crea, or the Supreme Commander, right?"

Technically, that category would include Suomi as well but, seeing as how she probably had a lot on her plate for the time being, Donar figured he should take up this task.

"Where is he now?"

The boy got up from his chair, "I'll walk you there myself. We haven't gotten around to labeling the tents yet, so it'll be hard to find it on your own. Just set your crate down here somewhere, I'll organize it later."

The soldier who was looking for Donar was seated at the edge of a cot inside a large canvas tent. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, but seemed uninjured aside from that. As soon as Donar entered, the man stood up and extended his hand out in greeting.

"I am Lieutenant-Commander Hirata," he introduced himself. "You must be Instructor Donar Dantes."

Donar shook the man's hand. If he was surprised by Donar's prosthetic limbs, he gave no indication of it.

"Yes I am," he replied. "One of my students said you had something to talk to me about?"

The officer nodded. "First, I want to thank you for your hospitality. You've been more than generous to my Commander and my men considering our past relations. As for what I wanted to say, have you given any thought to setting up ground defenses? I noticed as we were coming in that there seems to be very little in the way of military fortifications here."

That was exactly what Donar had been thinking about earlier. "Do you think that there's a threat of a full-scale invasion?"

"I can't think of any other reason why Mykage would bother to foment this rebellion of his unless he wanted additional manpower," the Lieutenant-Commander replied. "He's the type that likes to control things from the background; it isn't like him to take such a direct hand in matters unless the benefits outweigh the risks significantly."

Donar thought over that for a while. Regardless of whether Mykage's intentions were a ground assault on Neo-DEAVA, there was no reason not to fortify the academy. He would have to see how to fit it into the budget, but Donar was more and more convinced as he thought about it that the cost would be well worth it.

"It'll take some time to set those up," Donar answered. "And we'd need quite a lot of manpower to get it done quickly. Would any of your men be willing to help?"

"I'd have to ask Commander Izumo, but I think that most of the men would be willing to help, considering your people are our only hope of reclaiming our home-world from Mykage," he said in reply.

The Lieutenant-Commander got up off his bunk and walked over to where a large rectangular crate was set down on the floor. He rested a hand gingerly on the box, as if it were a holy relic.

"What's in there?" Donar asked. He had noticed the Altair troops carrying it out of the first dropship, but had not had the chance to check the contents.

"Perhaps the greatest symbol of hope for Altair before the events of today," the officer answered sadly. "Alicia Sora, the woman our Commander personally brought back from Vega."

The name sounded familiar to Donar Dantes. After a moment, he realized where he had heard it before. The actress who had played the role of Silvie in "Skies of Aquaria" and also, Amata Sora's mother. She had been reported missing over a decade ago.

"Is she…alive?" Donar asked. He knew that Amata would likely be overjoyed if he was reunited with his mother.

"Yes, but she's in stasis," Lieutenant-Commander Hirata explained. "It was the only way we could think of to prevent the 'Curse of Eve' from affecting her any further. She resisted its effects for almost a full week if I remember correctly. Since then, no Rare Igu— pardon me, no _woman_ had even come close to that."

"Well then, since we're not on Altair, we should see about getting her out. I'll have some people bring her down to the academy where we can run an analysis."

Donar stood up to leave.

The Lieutenant-Commander interrupted him, "Ah, can you wait until the Commander returns? He'll want to be there when it happens; the two of them were rather close despite him being her captor."

"I'll make note of that," Donar answered. "It shouldn't be long until everyone returns. In the meantime, I need to find the Supreme Commander and talk with him regarding living arrangements for your men. Your sudden arrival in such numbers is stretching our housing capacity. If you'd like, why don't you join me? Unless you need to stay with your men."

* * *

Izumo held the last enemy unit's head within the palm of his Ahura Gnis; the fingers slowly digging into the enemy armor with the crunching noise of crumpling steel. All around him lay the wreckage of battle, smoldering machines where the enemy squadron had fallen. Izumo had been careful to minimize casualties. Even if these men had sided with Mykage, he couldn't be sure that they hadn't been coerced or somehow bewitched into doing so. The man before him, however…deserved no such leniency.

"Any last words, Sergeant?" Izumo asked through gritted teeth. There was no response from the other unit, not that Izumo was surprised.

The battle had been decidedly one-sided; most of the enemy pilots had been complete amateurs, barely able to shoot in a straight line. If they had surrounded Izumo, he might have taken some damage, but as it was, they had all fired while in formation, making it very easy for Izumo to deflect the shots. Better yet, over half of the mass-produced units were armed with energy beams, giving Izumo nearly unlimited power for his counterattacks.

For the Sergeant however, there would be no quick exit from the fray. Izumo had made sure that the man was the last enemy standing so he could take his time finishing him off. He had worked over the enemy unit like a surgeon, tearing through each of his systems one by one until there was nothing left. With a look of disdain on his face, he tossed the last machine down to earth and fired a beam through the enemy cockpit. While Izumo was normally a rational man, he could not stand the thought of Altair's people, _his_ people, having to follow the orders of a complete scumbag like that man.

WIth the enemy threat neutralized, he contacted the Citadel.

"How is the evacuation going?" Izumo asked once the operator picked up his signal.

"We're currently boarding the final dropship, Commander," he answered. "I'll be getting on as well in a few moments, so you contacted us at the perfect time."

"Acknowledged. I'll be staying behind for a while longer. We still need to wait for the return of Ein, Zwei, and the three pilots from Vega that went with them."

"Please stay safe sir. Over and out."

There was one final task that Izumo had to see to. He couldn't risk Mykage opening dimension gates to Vega anytime he wanted to. His instincts told him that Mykage's goal was to be found on Vega. That meant that denying him access to the world would be a huge setback. There were two possible ways to achieve this.

The first was to disable the Ianthe, permanently. As the Commander of the Altair forces, Izumo had access to the power grid at a level that no other living person had; he could, in theory, force a meltdown in the system which would spread throughout the entire grid. He had no intention of pursuing this method though. Not only would it mean destroying his mother's legacy to Altair, but Izumo was wary of the collateral damage a meltdown might cause. As Ianthe was a planet-wide system, the results could be devastating on an unheard of magnitude.

That left the second method, which was to destroy or disable the dimension gate generator floating in the sky. It wasn't anywhere near as permanent as destroying the Ianthe would be, but depending on how badly he damaged the generator, Mykage could be set back for months. Izumo didn't want to completely destroy the device though; he planned on recapturing Altair as soon as possible from Mykage.

It took less than five minutes to reach the generator; no enemies stood in Izumo's way. The ring-shaped generator was an easy target to attack. Although Mykage had his loyal thralls manning the anti-air defenses, Izumo easily avoided the horribly aimed shots that came his way. He probably could have just shut down the guns themselves, but it was good to practice avoiding enemy fire even if 80% of it would have missed even if he didn't dodge.

He set to work disabling the dimension gate generator with the same surgical precision he had destroyed "the Sergeant's" mech with. His goal was to make repairs take as long as possible for anyone who did not know precisely which systems within the complex machine were destroyed. Stray anti-air fire continued to fly through the air around him, some of it actually striking the generator itself. Every time that happened, Izumo gave a sharp intake of air through his teeth; the additional damage would make his task of repairing the machine once he regained control of Altair more difficult.

When he was satisfied at last with how much of the generator had been damaged, Izumo flew back towards the Citadel as fast as he could. It was odd that Mykage wasn't sending more mass-produced units to slow him down, but in battle, thinking too hard on a stroke of good fortune had the tendency to reverse that luck.

As the citadel came into view, Izumo saw that the only remaining unit in the yard was the machine the people at Neo-DEAVA had called the Aquarion. He sent opened a communication channel with the pilots inside.

"Has everyone gone through the gate yet?"

The dark-haired, serious looking pilot answered him, "Not yet, Amata and the others haven't arrived. Your two guards said that they must have been delayed since our pilots set off for here earlier than they did."

"We're here now," came Jin's voice over the communication channel. Four dots showed up on Izumo's radar, coming in from about a mile away.

"Sorry for the holdup boys," the girl named Zessica apologized. She sounded a little strained, as if she were trying to hide a wound. "We ran into some enemies on the way back."

"Nothin' we couldn't handle," Yunoha remarked. Izumo frowned for a moment. From what he remembered, the girl that Jin liked was much more soft-spoken than that. He then realized that the "Curse of Eve" was probably affecting her more quickly than the typical case; body mass seemed to affect the rate at which the curse took hold.

That was probably why his son, Amata, quickly declared, "Alright, ladies first. Get through to the other side."

Was it his imagination, or did the boy look a little different in his visual feed? It looked as if his hair was a few shades darker and something about the features of his face looked changed. No, it was probably just him, Izumo decided. After all, he hadn't spent much time around the boy yet; it would make sense if he misremembered a few things about his appearance.

The three Vectors flew through the dimension gate, followed closely by Jin's Radius Gnis Zero. Izumo noticed that his former subordinate had installed a very unusual looking armor unit on his machine; he'd have to ask the boy about it later.

"I'll be heading through as well," Izumo told Cayenne. "Thank you all for your assistance today. Without you, many more of my men would have fallen prey to Mykage's machinations."

Returning through the gate to Vega seemed to take less time than the trip to Altair did. Perhaps it was just because Izumo was tired, but it seemed like only minutes had passed before the Ahura Gnis flew through the exit and the now-familiar sight of Neo-DEAVA academy spread out below him, lights all lit up in welcome.

* * *

Kagura sat, figuratively speaking, in silence as the lights of the dimension gate swirled across the viewport. He had a lot to mull over, between what Apollo had told him and the situation regarding his body.

"You're being awfully quiet," Amata noted.

"Shut up, weakling," he replied, "I'm trying to think."

Amata just ignored him; the boy had grown a bit of a backbone since the time his mother had left him alone on Vega. Kagura could _almost_ respect that.

"I'm rather surprised that you're not screaming for me to turn the ship around."

"I said, _shut up_," Kagura growled. Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to do just that, but instinctively, he knew that facing Mykage alone would not end well. He had been willing to take on Neo-DEAVA alone several times, but that was because they weren't nearly as fear-inspiring as the man who had raised him.

Kagura had fought against Mykage several times during his upbringing; from childish arguments to actual attempts to kill the smug manipulator. He had never managed to come close to anything remotely resembling a victory. Even after he had gained access to his power of Reversal, he had been unable to do so much as make Mykage blink. He knew he had a fiery temperament and a single-minded drive, but that didn't mean that he would run headfirst into certain death just because something he wanted was right in front of him.

"You do realize that the higher-ups are going to want to question you, don't you?" Amata continued. "About your role in previous Abductions?"

"You're damn annoying," Kagura replied. "I'll deal with matters as they come, so shut up already. What's it with you and trying to interrupt my thoughts anyways?"

"Petty revenge for you taking control of the body and blurting that out to Zessica-san, I suppose." With that parting statement, Amata finally left Kagura alone to his pondering.

When they arrived at Neo-DEAVA, it seemed like the whole school was waiting for them; awaiting the news of what had happened on the other world. It was a relief, then, that Amata and the other Vector pilots went directly to the hangar where there weren't as many people; Kagura hated crowds, too many smells mixing together in a confusing jumble.

"Amata Sora, come with us," one man in the greeting party said as soon as he disembarked. This could be none other than Donar Dantes, based on Amata's memories.

Kagura felt a bit of confusion from his other half, but the boy complied. They were led to a small room, furnished only with a single desk, two chairs, and a lamp. Kagura recognized it as an interrogation chamber, but Amata seemed to have no clue what was going on.

"Have a seat," Donar Dantes said. "And if you'd be so kind, let the other person inside of you take control for a bit."

"H-how did you know?" Amata exclaimed, sounding a little fearful.

The man gave a mysterious smile, "We do have access to the Vector's communication logs, you know. The Headmistress informed us that you were talking to 'Kagura,' but he was nowhere to be found in the pilot logs. From there, it was putting two and two together, with a little, or rather, a _lot_ of prompting from the Supreme Commander. Speaking of which, he should be here shortly, so if you would—"

Kagura found himself in control of the body again. It was an odd feeling, suddenly gaining use of his senses after a period of detachment; when Amata was in control, he only had access to sight, hearing, and smell.

The single door to the room opened with a creak of poorly oiled hinges. In stepped an elegantly dressed man with an eye-patch and a young girl with silvery-blue hair. The girl thanked Donar for his work, but Kagura found his attention focused solely on the man in red. His every instinct was screaming that he should attack the man before him.

Kagura leapt forwards aggressively, prompting Donar to stand protectively before the sharply dressed gentleman. The man with the eye-patch just smiled and pushed the instructor out of the way. Inside his head, Amata was screaming something at him, but over the rush of blood pounding in his temples, Kagura couldn't understand the words. The foolish man wasn't even taking a defensive stance, this would be _too_ easy…

That thought was why, when he first felt the solid blow to his gut, Kagura couldn't understand what had happened. One moment he was on the offensive, and in the next, he was lifted off his feet. He tried a flurry of kicks, but the man easily dodged them, occasionally striking back with unerring precision.

"Rev—"

Kagura couldn't even get the word out before the man disappeared from his field of view and he felt a strong blow to his back. In short order, he found himself thrown to the ground, the man with the eye-patch stomping him on the back until he was flat on the ground before planting a boot on his head to keep him prone.

"Who the hell are you?" Kagura found himself asking. For some reason, the words seemed very nostalgic to him.

The man with the eye-patch grinned as if he found the situation amusing. He replied, "Before asking someone their name…proper etiquette demands that you give yours first. Young man—what is your name?"

Kagura glared at the older man before answering truthfully in a resentful tone.

* * *

Notes: This chapter took a little longer than I thought it would to complete, but it's done now. I had to rewrite the ending a little since I wasn't satisfied with how it went at first. For those of you who watched the original series, you may recognize the scene I ended this chapter with. Naming-wise, I figured Akhtar was an appropriate name for Jin's new weapon system since most of the Altair machines have ties to Zoroastrian terms and Akhtar refers to "stars" or more specifically, "constellations." Operation Altair has drawn to a close and, like the rescue arc in Evol, they did not manage to save the person they were trying to, although here we have the seemingly permanent return of Alicia and Kagura to Vega. Unfortunately, as much fun as "kill-em-all" tough Yunoha was to write, I have to say farewell to that side of her (probably to Jin's relief.)

If any of you were wondering about the status of Amata's relationship with Mikono and Zessica, he's basically given up on Mikono in favor of letting Kagura pursue her (who he thinks will make her happier in the long run) but hasn't quite worked out what his feelings for Zessica yet, although he admits that he wants to be with her. The boy just needs a good mentor for his love life, because between the aggressively persistent boy sharing his body, Apollo's time-defying love for Silvia, and his own lack of experience in the field, he doesn't have anyone who's experienced a "normal" relationship to talk with. Next up, Dr. Phil, starring Andy as the host! (just kidding.)


	10. Chapter 10: Tempter's Gambit

**Chapter 10: Tempter's Gambit**

"Did you hear? There's a new transfer student coming in today."

"Really? Is it a boy or a girl? If it's a she, I hope she's cute."

"You never change."

The Neo-DEAVA classroom was buzzing with excitement the morning following the return of those who had taken part in Operation Altair. Everyone involved had become instant celebrities for the moment and all the other students crowded around them, asking for every detail. But even that wasn't enough to distract anyone from the rumors that a new transfer student would be arriving today.

Andy, while loving the attention he was getting, found himself trying to answer half a dozen questions at once. He looked around to the others who were on Altair for help, but none was available.

Shrade was resting up for the day and wasn't present. Cayenne, with his air of stoic indifference, managed to keep the curious crowd away from him by refusing to utter a word. Poor Yunoha had been so embarrassed at being the center of attention that she had just vanished. Jin wasn't fairing much better, having returned in a strange new machine that everyone wanted a look at. His face had turned bright red when everyone had rushed him all at once for information; Jin had subsequently surrounded himself with an impenetrable barrier and now refused to come out. Amata wasn't here today either; he hadn't returned to the dorm rooms since disembarking. Andy was a little worried about him to be honest, but last night, he had been too tired to think on it.

That only left Zessica and Andy as sources of a retelling of the previous day's events. And so, they found themselves surrounded by a loud group of fellow students, all clamoring out with questions and demands. Andy was hoping to spend the period of homeroom before the instructor arrived with MIX, but he found it impossible to get to where she was sitting.

"Hey Andy, is the transfer student from Altair? Is it one of the soldiers, do you think?"

Pressed from all sides, Andy fought for breathing room. He was getting seriously claustrophobic which, considering how much he loved tunnels and enclosed areas, was saying a lot.

"Gah! I can't stand this anymore!" Andy shouted, standing up suddenly.

Slapping his hand to the ground, he broke a hole through the floor and dropped down to escape. Unfortunately, he landed right in front of Instructor Dantes, who looked every bit as startled as Andy was feeling.

"Um—Good morni—OW!"

Being startled didn't slow the instructor down at all when it came to punishment.

"Did you dig _another_ hole through the floor of our school? How many times is that now? If you weren't needed as an Element, I'd set you to scrubbing toilets until the meaning of the words 'common sense' finally seeped into that empty skull of yours!"

"But—ow—sir," Andy protested. "You don't know how bad it was getting up there. People kept pestering me for information about Operation Altair and it was just getting crazy."

A few curious faces were peering down the hole in the ceiling at the commotion Andy was causing. He was rather happy to see that MIX's was amongst them.

"Hey MIX," he shouted up. "You'll vouch for me right? I had to get away from that madness!"

The hole in the ceiling sealed itself off.

Andy turned back to Donar-sensei, a look of fear creeping slowly across his face. He tried to laugh it off, but humor clearly did not work on the instructor. The man had both eyes closed, one eyebrow twitching; Andy knew it was time to make a break for it.

He barely got three steps when Donar's hand latched onto his shoulder with an iron grip. His forward momentum caused Andy to spin around. He was quite surprised to see that Instructor Dantes hadn't moved from his spot at all. He had _shot_ his hand out, which was attached to a steel cable, and caught Andy; since when was he able to do that? It was seriously unfair.

"No getting away this time, Andy," he said. "Back to class with you, and don't make me have to drag you there myself. I've been itching to test out this new prosthetic…"

The instructor raised his free hand up, cupping his fingers. Electricity crackled between his fingers with a very ominous zapping sound. _Seriously unfair_, Andy thought glumly.

So, Andy found himself trudging back the stairs up to class, passing by several groups of soldiers from Altair along the way. They seemed like friendly enough people, not that much different from anyone you would run into in town aside from their uniforms. It was hard to believe that, not too long ago, they would have been fighting against each other.

Andy poked his head through the door when he got back to the classroom. Everyone turned to look at him. He gave a nervous laugh as he walked back to his seat, making sure to pass by MIX's desk along the way.

"Idiot," she mumbled under her breath, but her tone told him that she didn't really mean it.

He grinned at her and took his seat. Thanks to his stunt earlier, everyone was now giving him more space, if not outright avoiding him; Zessica seemed to be benefiting from it as well; at least she had some breathing room. He sat back, kicked his feet up on his table (to MIX's disapproving glare) and tried to enjoy the rest of the break time he had left.

It didn't take long before Suomi-sensei walked into the classroom and quieted everyone down to make her announcements. She gave a brief overview of the events that had occurred during Operation Altair and a few memos regarding making the newcomers from Altair feel at home. Then, adjusting her glasses, she looked at the class and announced that she would be introducing a new transfer student.

Whispers about who the person might be filled the classroom. Andy heard guesses ranging from logical to implausible. Whoever it was, he hoped that it would be someone who would be willing to go on digging sojourns to the forbidden gardens of Neo-DEAVA; Andy thought he was getting close to a breakthrough in reaching the basement of the girls' dorms. He kept his fingers crossed as Suomi-sensei told the transfer student to come in and introduce himself.

The instant the transfer student walked in, Andy stood up in surprise. So did half the class.

It was Amata.

The boy looked around the classroom with narrowed eyes and a malevolent grin.

"Heh—the old man said that this place was full of strong warriors. It seems that I got my hopes up for no reason." Amata put his hands in his pocket and bared his teeth in a smile. "Kagura Demuri. Don't bother trying to get friendly with me."

* * *

"What is the Supreme Commander thinking, letting a psychopath like that loose in Neo-DEAVA?"

MIX's complaint filled the cafeteria. Several people looked up at the source of the noise, but went back to their meals almost immediately. Andy tried to calm her down, but it didn't seem to be working. Yunoha looked down at her tray, her bread and soup left untouched.

Truth be told, she only vaguely recalled the events that had occurred after she had been left to guard the Vectors on Altair. Amata and Kagura becoming one person—it was hard to believe. She peered over to the corner of the cafeteria where the boy was sitting. Despite how crowded the cafeteria was at this hour, there was a two table radius around him that was completely devoid of people.

"Jin-kun?" she asked softly.

"Yes!"

Jin snapped to attention immediately. Ever since Operation Altair, he seemed a little bit nervous and jumpy around Yunoha; she couldn't understand why, but she felt like she was responsible. Was it something she needed to apologize to him for?

"You knew Kagura-kun from before joining Neo-DEAVA, right?"

"Yes, I did," he admitted, "But we never really talked much. We were comrades and he let me use his battle data in exchange for me upgrading his machine, but we weren't close friends or anything like that."

"Still, shouldn't you try talking to him now?" Yunoha asked."After all, you know better than anyone what it's like to be alone."

He looked at her for a moment before saying, "I can't argue with you; I'll give it a try."

Yunoha turned to Zessica, who was sitting at their table with a very conflicted expression on her face. She kept glancing over at Kagura's table and then back down at her own hands. It must be difficult for her, Yunoha realized, not really knowing what was happening with the person she liked. She wondered if there was anything at all that she could do to cheer her friend up.

"I can't believe you're even trying to reach out to that guy, Yunoha-san," MIX said. "Did you forget? He's the one that attacked the academy and kidnapped Mikono-san."

"But—he's also Amata-kun. It just isn't right to ignore him even if he's in the same body as Kagura-kun," Yunoha protested.

Zessica stood up at those words. With a look of resolution, she grabbed her tray and brought it over to the table where Jin was now chatting with Kagura. Yunoha followed, trying hard not to spill any of the soup as she walked over carrying her own lunch-tray.

"Yunoha-san!" MIX called after her. When Yunoha didn't answer, she sighed and went after the other two girls. After a moment, she turned around.

"Andy, aren't you coming as well? He's _your_ roommate, you know."

Kagura looked rather annoyed that his quiet meal was being disturbed by the influx of more and more visitors to his table.

"What do you all think you're doing?" he demanded. "I _said_ not to get too friendly."

"We're here because Amata is one of us, not because of you. We figured he'd probably get bored stuck in the same body with you all day," Zessica said coldly. She sat down right next to him, much to Kagura's apparent discomfort.

"Fine, suit yourselves," he mumbled. He went back to scarfing down his lunch, trying hard to ignore the presence of the other Element users.

"Um, I don't think you should isolate yourself so much," Yunoha began.

She shrunk back and turned invisible under Kagura's piercing glare. Jin placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. To Yunoha's surprise, Kagura didn't shrug the other boy's hand off or tell him off.

"She's right. Didn't you say the reason you're here is because it's the only way you can get Mikono-san back from Mykage? No one's going to want to help you if you act so rough."

Jin refused to back down under Kagura's gaze. Instead, he added, "I'm sure Amata-kun feels the same way; why don't you ask him what he thinks about all this?"

Kagura scoffed, "Weaklings always find a need to band together. What happened to you Jin? You used to be so confident in your own abilities."

This time it was Yunoha who answered in Jin's defense. She was surprised by how forceful she was; perhaps a little bit of the "Curse of Eve" hadn't dissipated yet.

"Jin-kun is _not_ weak," she responded, sounding angry. "Everyone has weaknesses, but with friends, you're able to make up for those. Isn't that why we have three pilots in the Aquarion? What about you, Kagura-kun? I think you realized this yourself but you just don't want to admit it. You _need _us to get Mikono-san back from Mykage, don't you? But isn't that the same 'banding together' you seem to despise so much? It's not weakness to rely on others; in fact, it takes strength and courage to admit it and ask for help."

Her tirade seemed to have touched a nerve. Kagura stood up suddenly, grabbed the remaining food from his tray, and jumped through an open window, reversing gravity so that he would land lightly on the grassy courtyard outside.

"I'm not sure if he's ready just yet, Yunoha," Jin said sadly. "It took me quite some time. It's probably better to leave him alone for a little bit."

"But—"

"He has Amata," Zessica said. "Amata's in that body as well. I'm going to trust in him."

"Well—if you're going to trust in him, better go tell that to Cayenne," Andy interrupted from the window Kagura had jumped out of. "The two just ran into each other and it looks like we might see some blood."

* * *

"I don't understand why you would allow him to be a student here at Neo-DEAVA," Donar said as he stood next to the Supreme Commander.

He, Suomi, Crea, Izumo, and the principal had all been called to a conference in the command room to discuss recent events. The first order of business was what to do with the individual called Kagura, who, by all accounts, should have been held incarcerated indefinitely.

"While I do appreciate you allowing him to be free, seeing as half of him is the son I left on Vega, I too question whether it is wise to allow him to run around as he wishes," Commander Izumo said. "Kagura is a loose cannon. He only follows the orders that suit him and is as likely to be a liability as he is to be an asset."

The Supreme Commander sat with his eyes closed. "And what do you three think of this decision?" he asked in a low baritone.

"I'll stand by your decision," Headmistress Crea responded. "I trust in your instincts."

"I'm against it," Suomi replied. "That _boy_ has a lot to answer for."

The principal looked startled when the others looked to him.

"Wait—me? I never get to make any of the decisions around here," he protested. "Plus I haven't been at the school much recently. If I really have to say something, I'll stand by the Supreme Commander. No matter how insane his methods are, they bring about results."

The Supreme Commander smiled. "A wolf is a ferocious beast, but even it learns to rely on others of its kind. A lone wolf rarely survives, but when it does, it becomes a mass of instinct. One drive, one goal; at any cost."

The people from Neo-DEAVA resigned themselves to another of Supreme Commander Fudo's parables; Izumo, who had never heard any before, simply stared at the man with a puzzled expression.

"A wolf is a ferocious beast, but when treated kindly, it can become the most loyal companion a man could hope for. Intelligent, strong, protective, kind, loving, loyal—that is the other side of the 'beast' that only those who dare extend their trust to a wolf will ever come to learn."

"So, you're saying Kagura is like a wolf? And that we should learn to trust him?" Donar asked.

"Perhaps. But to the boy, might it not seem like _we_ are the wolves?"

Donar sighed; it was no use arguing against the Supreme Commander. Come to think of it, he had never seen anyone actively oppose Fudo Zen's decisions before. He supposed it couldn't hurt to wait and see how things went with Kagura.

"Very well, since you have no further objections, what is next?" Headmistress Crea asked, trying to speed things along.

"The dimension gate generator has been disabled; we can expect that there will be no incursions from Altair for some time," Izumo announced.

"Disabled? You mean you flipped a switch and shut it off or something?" the principal asked.

"Disabled as in I piloted a 70-ton war machine up to it and tore out vital systems. Repairs will take at least three months if Mykage has access to the engineering schematics, more if he doesn't."

At least three months for preparations and additional training. Donar probably had the same eager look his colleagues had on their faces right now. Suddenly, building enough fortifications to make the academy all but impregnable seemed a reality.

"The question is, will we be running any additional missions to Altair now that we know it's possible for the Aquarion to open a dimension gate to the other world," Suomi commented.

"I don't think we should," Donar replied. Everyone else looked at him questioningly. "The first time, it worked because we had the element of surprise and they were distracted by the civil war they were having. From what we know of Mykage, that won't be the case a second time."

"But—Mikono-san is still…"

"I know," Donar said, frowning. "But the fact is—we can't risk both Aquarions and the lives of six or more pilots to rescue her right now. From what Kagura told us during his interrogation, that bastard, Mykage, still has plans for the Mikono-san. We can assume that she'll be kept alive and relatively unharmed until he makes a move."

"What do you think about this, Supreme Commander?" Suomi asked, turning to Fudo Zen with a half-pleading look on her face. She was finding it hard to abandon a student, even temporarily.

"No matter how much you might want to reach the goal, no one can walk a thousand miles on the same day they decide to try," he said in a serious tone. "Our Element-users need special training—and this time, that includes all of you in this room."

The Supreme Commander added, with his usual grin, "Of course, you are the exception, Principal. You are free to continue scouting Element-users."

Then, turning to the rest of the group, Fudo Zen grandly stated, "That brings us to the last order of business that I wish to discuss with you today. About the woman brought back from Altair, Alicia Sora—"

Donar coughed into his fist and took out a clipboard. On it were several charts detailing the results of the analysis team's results from several hours of investigation.

"The woman in question is currently held in suspended animation. There appear to be no physical or chemical abnormalities whatsoever; she is, barring being in stasis, perfectly healthy. Mitochondria DNA analysis has confirmed that she is, in fact, Amata Sora's mother. Quantum Resonance data suggests that she is an Element user, but her power is currently unrecorded in any of our archives. We have the capability to release her from suspended animation pending permission from her closest of kin."

Suomi looked at the information on the clipboard over Donar's shoulder. Adjusting her glasses, she asked, "That would be Amata-kun, right? But given the circumstances he's involved in right now, I hardly think that he is mentally stable enough to make that decision."

"Then what about her husband?" Izumo interjected. Everyone turned towards him. "The two of us were married on Altair in a private ceremony shortly before we were forced to place her into suspended animation to stop the 'Curse of Eve.' I can release the records to you if you wish to have proof."

"Husband?" Suomi exclaimed, her cheeks coloring slightly; apparently she couldn't see the Commander of Altair as anything other than a grizzled and glum military officer solely dedicated to his career, certainly not husband material. "That would certainly be—adequate…"

Headmistress Crea nodded, "If you can provide documented proof, it will be sufficient. I will have the technicians in the medical bay explain the procedure for you so that you are better equipped to make your decision. Will that be satisfactory, Commander?"

"Yes, it would be more than satisfactory," Izumo replied.

As the Commander spoke those words, Donar happened to see the look in his eyes change. Perhaps it was only a trick of the dim lighting, but the instructor thought he saw the Commander's eyes soften, becoming younger and more hopeful.

* * *

Kagura faced off against an older boy dressed in military fatigues. He looked vaguely familiar, but it was his scent that interested Kagura. He had smelled the boy's scent several times before, but each time he had been more interested in Miko—Sylvia's fragrance nearby. Now that the two faced off in her absence, Kagura noticed that he bore a hint of Sylvia's scent on him; perhaps they were close relatives.

"He's her brother," Amata chimed in helpfully in Kagura's mind. "And her name is Mikono-san, not Sylvia."

"Shut up Amata," Kagura answered roughly. "I didn't ask you to tell me anything about him. And how are you reading my thoughts?"

"It must be because you were thinking it aloud to yourself," Amata replied. "I've noticed that happening a few times ever since Apollo spoke to us."

"Well, if it happens again, you better keep quiet about it," he growled.

"Right—Am I allowed to comment on the thoughts running through your head when Yunoha-san and Jin-kun were talking to you, or should I forget those too?"

Kagura was startled. Angrily, he responded, "_That_ above all else. You're becoming quite the sadist aren't you, weakling?"

"Only in my own head. Sorry— _our_ head."

Kagura could feel a sense of mirth coming from the other presence in his head. He really hated being stuck in the same body with Amata. It was inconvenient, the other boy could read his thoughts, and for some reason, Amata felt a need to comment on every little detail that slipped out. But most importantly, he couldn't throttle the other boy to get him to stop talking. There _had_ to be some way to reverse this despicable Union he was stuck in; unfortunately, his power of Reversal didn't seem to be sufficient on its own.

"You there," the boy said harshly, addressing Kagura. "Just what are you up to? And what have you done with Mikono?"

It might have been because of Amata's goading, but Kagura found himself answering, "Heh—What I do with my wench is my business alone. A pitiful existence that couldn't even protect her, like you, should just give up getting in my way."

"You miserable little piece of—," Cayenne began to say, before a hand on his shoulder brought him to a halt.

"Don't stop me now, Shrade," he demanded angrily, cracking his knuckles. "This punk's been asking for this for a long time."

"Calm yourself, my friend," the tall blond boy replied. "The melody of the boy's soul matches the sorrow of your own. Even if you brought him pain, it would not come close to matching the mournful dirge his heart is playing."

Kagura glared at the blond boy. He was the only person Kagura met aside from Mykage and the "old man in red" that caused him to doubt his ability to win. His instincts told him that this young man, Shrade Elan, based on Amata's memories, was someone who it was better to avoid picking a fight with.

"Thank goodness they haven't started throwing punches yet," a girl said as she came running out of the door to the academy. Kagura recognized her as one of the ones who had come over to his table during lunch. She wore spectacles and had her hair done in one long tail on one side of her head.

The rest of the group that she was with in the cafeteria wasn't far behind. All of them poured out of the door behind her, slightly short of breath. They had apparently run the entire way from the dining area. Though, why they would bother, Kagura couldn't understand.

"Because they're worried about you. And about Cayenne," Amata answered.

"I _said_ to stop doing that!" Kagura shouted at his other half. Pausing at the startled expressions on everyone's faces around him, Kagura realized that he had spoken aloud. Several birds in a nearby tree had been startled into flight.

He gritted his teeth and growled. Then, dropping to all fours, Kagura ran off; anywhere to get away from these meddlesome strangers who didn't seem to be able to take a hint. He soon found himself deep in a wooded area of the school grounds. It wasn't ideal because it looked somewhat artificially grown, but it was far better than staying where someone could come across him. Now he was finally alone, except for that persistent voice in his head.

Kagura climbed a tree and hunched down on the lowest branch, relishing the faint breeze that flowed through the leaves to caress his face. The sounds of the forest surrounded him; though disorderly, there was a calming quality about them. _Who needs comrades anyways?_

Kagura laughed softly to himself. He would just use the people of Neo-DEAVA until he had no further purpose for them. He admitted that there were probably a few things he could learn from the old man who had beaten him down so severely in their first meeting, but aside from him and the Aquarion, there didn't seem to be anything of value at the school.

"_It takes strength and courage to admit it and ask for help."_

The small girl's words haunted him, confused him. It takes strength to admit weakness and ask for help? Ridiculous! Kagura knew that the only way to get rid of weakness was to become stronger. Getting others to help was only a crutch for the truly helpless.

_Then why can't you get those words out of your head?_

"Shut up, Amata!" Kagura howled in his head. With a start, he realized Amata had never posed that question to him; it was in his own voice.

Why couldn't he ask for help? They were his enemies—No, that was just an excuse, they seemed willing to help, even if it was only for Amata's sake. He despised the weak—That was true, but he was willing to go through any hardships or humiliation for the sake of Mikon—Sylvia. He couldn't trust that they would be there when he needed them most—

That was the answer he had been looking for. He _couldn't _trust them. He had gone through his entire life without trusting anyone; growing up with Mykage had taught him that trust would only lead to pain and betrayal. Betrayal, a word he knew well. Like Apollonius betrayed the Shadow Angels 24,000 years ago. Like Sirius had betrayed him and Sylvia 12,000 years ago in Apollo's memories. Like how his mother had betrayed him and tried to leave for Altair without him. Trust was for the foolish. That was the final lesson Mykage had taught him.

A mirthful laugh echoed throughout the forest. Kagura looked around for its source frantically. He knew that unpleasant laugh. It belonged to Mykage.

"Poor Kagura, left all alone away from his true love. Or can I still say that? With you once again united with your long-lost half?"

"Show yourself!" Kagura shouted.

"You'll never be able to get her back, you know. There will be no returning to Altair for you; not without someone to open the dimension gate for you. Why don't you get that boy to open it? Leave the gate open long enough and perhaps I will feel gracious and return your precious woman to you. After all, I have no need for she who bears the soul of that hateful Celiane."

"Don't do it, Kagura. He's clearly trying to bait you," Amata said, sounding desperate.

"Still hesitating, Kagura? Very well. I'll give you some time to think about it. But not too much, mind you. We shall meet again…"

As the voice faded away into the forest, Kagura felt the beginnings of crushing despair stirring within him. He slammed his fist against a tree, trying to dull the feeling in his heart with physical hurt. As the sounds of the forest wrapped around him, Kagura added his own howl to the calls of the wild.

* * *

*Notes: I'm actually rather surprised I managed to finish this one by Friday. I thought it would take another day at least. Anyways, a bit of a set-up chapter for coming events and working towards developing Kagura's character a little. I personally like having Amata snark at Kagura while the other boy can't do anything about it; I found Amata to be a bit too passive and polite in the anime and, let's face it, we all have times when we try to be polite in society while secretly mocking everything and everyone from the safety of the confines of our own heads. Some things to look forward to in the near future: an insane training regime imposed by the Supreme Commander and Alicia's awakening.

Sorry that there wasn't a chapter title preview last time, I didn't think of a title for the events of this chapter until I was about halfway done writing it. Here's one for the next chapter.

**Chapter 11: Demon's Tag**


	11. Chapter 11: Demon's Tag

**Chapter 11: Demon's Tag**

It had been one week since Kagura had "transferred" into Neo-DEAVA. Amata thought that the change in everyone since that day was remarkable. Though his fellow students had seemed frightened or even hostile at first, they gradually got used to the wild boy's presence. Even Cayenne, who had been the most openly hostile to the newcomer, limited his displeasure to glares in Kagura's general direction.

The students weren't the only ones that had begun to change. Kagura, who had openly declared his disdain for others on his first day, now tolerated the presence of Amata's friends every afternoon during lunch. He still refused to join in their conversations, but the fact that he no longer avoided their presence was encouraging. During class, he would no longer chase off anyone who approached his desk, but he still ignored them until they went away. Still, it was a bit of an improvement.

Amata knew that much of the change in the other boy was due to their encounter with Mykage in the forest. Although he didn't say anything to anyone about it, choosing to bear the pain by himself as he always had before; Amata knew through the connection between their souls that the other boy was slowly bending under the temptation to take Mykage's proposal. Although the two had been enemies, they now shared the pain of having a loved one taken out of reach. He would not let Kagura face this alone. Nor would he let Kagura open a dimension gate into Altair just to get what he wanted.

Supreme Commander Fudo's voice came over the loudspeaker, "All Element pilots report to the track field for mandatory training."

The announcement interrupted Suomi-sensei as she was describing the history of Neo-DEAVA to the class. Frowning unhappily at being cut off, she excused the students who had piloted the Aquarion before.

"I know Supreme Commander Fudo's training regimes are supposed to be quite effective, but they're almost always dangerous too—take care of yourselves," she called out after them as they left the classroom.

The Supreme Commander, Headmistress Crea, and Instructor Dantes were all waiting for the students when they arrived. Donar looked at a timepiece as the last stragglers were coming in. Everyone present was part of the familiar crowd: Zessica, Andy, MIX, Yunoha, Jin, Cayenne, Shrade, Malloy, and Sazanka. Amata had never really thought about it much, but for a school housing several hundred students, there were very few people who had ever done a mixed-gender Union before. He supposed that the higher-ups found it easier to just deal with about a dozen students rather than the whole student body.

"Still waiting on one more—," Instructor Dantes noted.

Amata looked around, wondering who was missing. His curiosity was answered two minutes later as Suomi-sensei came running towards them, hiking her nun's habit up so that she didn't did not look happy at all.

"Why didn't you tell me in advance that I had to come too?" she shouted at Donar between gasps for air. "The substitute was looking at me like I was out of my mind for still being there in the classroom."

"Never mind that," Headmistress Crea said softly, "we're all here now. Supreme Commander Fudo will now explain to you all what is going on."

Fudo Zen stepped forwards, smiling mysteriously, clearly relishing the moment. He took the time to look each Element in the eye. Amata thought that the man was better suited to be a performer than a commander but, criticism aside, Fudo Zen was an excellent leader. At the very least, he had never led the pilots of the Aquarion astray before.

"This is special training," he declared after a long pause. "As our enemy becomes stronger, you will find it harder to grasp victory. It may even become difficult to survive. _SURVIVAL!_"

Everyone jumped at the sudden increase in volume of the man's voice.

Fudo Zen smiled, "_That_, is what you will be learning today."

Amata felt the amusement radiating from Kagura even before he opened his mouth to talk.

"Survival? I've survived on my own well enough," Kagura scoffed. "I don't need any 'special training' to know how to do it."

"How many pilots are there in the Aquarion?" the Supreme Commander asked Kagura in a loud voice.

Kagura looked back at him quizzically. "Three," he answered.

"Correct!" Fudo Zen declared. "That is why—your task will be to survive as a group of three. Now for the rules."

"First rule: Aside from these rules, there are _no_ rules. You may do anything you want, use anything you can find, in order to survive."

Everyone listened intently as the Supreme Commander continued.

"Second rule: If any member of your team is eliminated, the entire team will be given a penalty. Further loss of teammates will result in additional penalties."

There was a groan from the students at this announcement, followed by hushed murmurs about what the penalty might be. Amata tried not to listen to the whispered guesses. Some of them, especially those coming from Sazanka, would probably give him nightmares for a month.

"Third rule: One team will start as the 'hunting team.' The hunting team must tag members of other teams with a hand to eliminate those participants. Eliminated team members will join the 'hunting team.' The hunting team will incur penalties for every Element user not part of their team by the end of the training exercise!"

"Fourth rule: To provide an incentive to hunt down former team members and other teams, members of the hunting team may lower the penalty they receive by tagging others; the more people you eliminate, the more your penalty is reduced."

"Final rule: Element powers _are_ allowed. The hunting team may use them as much as they like. All others are restricted to three usages of their powers during the course of the training exercise. Amata Sora and Kagura Demuri, as you are one, you may only use a total of three of any combination of your powers. This exercise will last three hours. The entire campus is the hunting ground. Survive until the end!"

Although the thought of an unknown and cumulative penalty was daunting, Amata felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through him; whether it originated from Kagura or himself didn't really matter. His fellow Elements looked just as excited.

"I see that you all are treating this as a game," the Supreme Commander noted harshly. "It is anything but that! Now, Sazanka, Cayenne, Shrade, you are team one. Zessica, Andy, Jin, team two. MIX, Kagura, Amata, and Yunoha, team three. Instructor Donar, Suomi-sensei, Malloy, you three will start as the hunting team. The Headmistress will serve as the arbiter. To all others, you have 5 minutes to plan and move out.

The Commander shouted, "Let the training—begin!"

* * *

Andy, Jin, and Zessica made a break for the woods as soon as the Supreme Commander had given the signal. They had figured that it would be the best place to hide out for a few hours without getting caught by the hunting team.

"We need to stick together," Andy said. "Find a good spot and dig a few dozen tunnels to confuse the trail while hiding in one of them. Give me enough time, and I'll have a labyrinth they won't be able to navigate."

"Andy—did you forget you're only allowed to use your powers three times? Are you really going to waste it all in the first two or three minutes digging a few pits?" Zessica asked.

"She's right," Jin noted. "It's probably best to save your powers for an emergency, in order to make a quick getaway. Let's try to come up with ways to use our powers more effectively. I can cover our retreats or buy us a good amount of time if we find an area that's narrow enough."

"Since you two won't let me dig a massive hideout, I guess I'm stuck with digging an escape path or a hiding spot if needed," Andy sighed. He had been looking forward to creating the most elaborate tunnel network the world had ever seen.

"Sorry," Zessica apologized. "But my powers are pretty much useless here. Twisting and distorting isn't going to be very useful in stopping pursuit unless you want me to drop a tree down on someone. Let's try not to get that desperate over this training exercise."

"What worries me most is what Element powers Instructor Dantes and Suomi-sensei have," Andy said. "Instructor Dantes used to be a Vector pilot, right? And the Supreme Commander did say that the hunting team could use their powers as much as they want, so it makes sense if Suomi-sensei has some ability as well."

"You know, that was actually pretty good, coming from you, Andy," Zessica said in praise.

"Hey! I'm not an idiot…all of the time at least. Don't believe half of what MIX tells you during your secret girl to girl talks," Andy protested.

"'Secret girl to girl talks?'" Zessica asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are boys always so suspicious when a girl just wants to have a conversation with a friend?"

Andy's face flushed in embarrassment. Hastily changing the subject, he said, "So, would it be possible to find out what their powers are?"

"Give me just a minute," Jin replied, as he pulled out his communicator. Fiddling about with a few buttons, he brought up a holographic screen detailing both teachers.

"Donar Dantes…age 25…Element Ability: Electron Flow Manipulation…Suomi Conebi…age 24…Element Ability: Magnetic Field Displacement."

"So," Jin concluded. "Instructor Dantes can manipulate electric currents and Suomi-sensei can alter magnetic fields. Unfortunately, the data I have doesn't tell me the extent of their abilities, which is troubling. We should assume the worse regarding how much control they have over their powers."

"Way to go Jin!" Andy exclaimed, raising his hand for a high-five. Hesitantly, Jin slapped Andy's hand. "How did you get that information?"

"I still have a direct link to the Neo-DEAVA mainframe from when I hacked in…Everyone just assumed I disconnected from it once I joined up as a student for real," Jin said, abashed. "After all, information is the key to victory."

"So, how does knowing all this about our teachers help us?" Zessica asked. "I can't see how electricity or magnetic fields will help them catch us."

"If Suomi-sensei is sensitive enough to magnetic fields, she _might_ be able to find us even if we're hiding," Jin noted. "The human body generates a weak field on its own, so there is that possibility, no matter how slim. Though, I think it is safe to say that those two will probably go after easier targets first to increase the size of the hunting team before tackling more difficult prey. We are a rather defensive heavy group."

Zessica froze with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Finding us…wait—the Supreme Commander said that there are no rules besides the ones he gave us, right?"

The two boys confirmed her statement.

"So—they don't even have to rely on their powers to find us…Not when they have access to every security camera and microphone in the school!" Zessica exclaimed. "And if I remember correctly, most of the school grounds is under surveillance at all times, including parts of the forest. We need to go back and shut the system down or at least prevent them from accessing it!"

"Going back there now wouldn't work," Andy replied. "We've been heading through the forest for a good three minutes now. By the time we got back to the academy on foot, we'd be completely out of preparation time."

"Jin-kun, is there any chance you could shut down the security cameras with that device of yours?"

Jin shook his head. "That won't work. I need my laptop or some other computer to do it. This device just stores information and works as a communicator. It's not actually connected to the network."

"Well then, let's dig a hole to the boys' dorm so that you can retrieve your laptop," Andy suggested. "That way, we won't run into anyone and you can shut down the cameras to blind the pursuit. Zessica, guard the entrance and let us know if anyone is coming from this end, would you?"

Without waiting for Zessica's answer, Andy tore away at the ground, creating a man-sized tunnel into the earth faster than a mechanical shovel would have been able to.

Team two was ready to start.

* * *

Cayenne and Shrade walked briskly through the halls of the school. Sazanka followed behind, watching their every move with interest. Even on a normal day, the pair drew attention to themselves just by existing, but on this day, after having been called out of class by the Supreme Commander, there were hushed whispers following the team everywhere they went.

"What are you planning, my friend?" Shrade asked politely.

"The Supreme Commander said that there are no rules and that the whole academy was open. We're going to the armory to pick up some supplies. The hunting team can't take us down if we take them out with tranquilizers first," Cayenne replied.

"A rather amusing interpretation of what has been set forth," Shrade noted. "I will trust in your instincts, my friend."

"You look like you have something else to say," Cayenne said. He was getting pretty good at reading the expressions on his friend's face.

"Nothing, just that I might not mind whatever punishment the Supreme Commander will hand out if I can share that burden with you, dear friend."

Sazanka gave a squeal of delight; she _knew_ that those two made a good pair. The main question was who the top was. Someone who didn't know them well might think that it had to be Cayenne. With his rough demeanor and façade of apathy, he certainly seemed the type. But Sazanka knew better, Cayenne was always on the defensive when it came to Shrade; aways responding awkwardly to the other boy's advances. She once again thanked the powers that be for putting her in the same group as those two.

Team one reached the armory with several minutes to spare. Surprisingly, the room was unlocked, as if the Supreme Commander had known that someone would try to access the supplies within. Cayenne went over to where the dart rifles were stored and took two out, tossing one to Shrade before checking the scope and the laser sights on his own. Then, as an afterthought, he addressed Sazanka.

"Can you use a weapon at all?"

Sazanka snapped out of her fantasy as soon as she realized that he was talking to her.

"Huh? Um-No, I actually can't," she admitted. She had been meaning to learn ever since that incident fleeing in a car from the graveyard with Kagura in pursuit, but she had never gotten around to actually doing it.

"That's not a problem," he said, tossing her a pair of binoculars. "You can be the lookout. We'll set up on the roof of the school and scout out the enemy movements first. Give me a few more moments to grab a few more items."

Cayenne took a backpack from a locker and began searching through the contents. After two minutes or so, he slung it across his back, apparently satisfied with the contents.

"Alright, let's head off," he stated. "We'll take the stairs closest to here. There usually isn't much traffic in this wing of the school so we shouldn't have to worry about running into anyone else."

As Cayenne had predicted, they didn't encounter anyone on the way up to the roof of the school. Nor was there anyone on the roof when they arrived. Cayenne dropped his pack onto the ground and looked through his rifle scope at the track field, laser sight switched off so that it wouldn't alert anyone to his presence.

"It looks like they just started moving out," Cayenne said, as he lowered the gun.

"You're not going to shoot just yet?" Sazanka asked.

"No sense giving away our plan right from the start. Plus, from this range, the dart guns are unreliable, there's too much wind. We'll wait and see what they do first. Sazanka, you keep an eye out in case they exit the building from the other side. I'll keep track of this end. Shrade, you're in charge of letting us know if they come onto the roof from one of the doors."

Team one had finished their preparations.

* * *

"We need to stick together," MIX insisted. She was getting more and more frustrated with Kagura as he continued to refuse to listen to her suggestions. Instead, she had found herself following _him,_ trying to convince him that the only way to make it until the end was to work together.

"Stay out of my way," Kagura growled. "If you want to work together so much, go find another group and join them; I wouldn't mind one bit."

"For the love of—Yunoha, talk some sense into this guy, would you?"

The shy girl had been keeping quiet, trailing after her arguing teammates the entire time. At MIX's urging, she finally spoke out.

"Um, Kagura-kun…it really would be best if you worked with others. What if everyone but you ended up on the hunting team? I'm sure you're strong, but against that many people, even you would have trouble."

"Heh," the boy scoffed, "They wouldn't be able to touch me. I still have my ability of Reversal. Don't lump me in the same category as you two loads."

"Are you an idiot?" MIX screamed at him, finally losing her patience. "You are only allowed to use your ability three times during the whole three hours. There's no way you'd last that long with that limitation."

The trio had been walking deeper and deeper into the forest surrounding the academy the whole time. Kagura paused by a particularly large tree as he thought about what MIX had said.

"Fine," he said. "I'll let you work with me as long as you carry your own weight. But drag me down and I won't hesitate to leave you behind."

Kagura stalked off further into the woods. From the direction of the school, a bell chimed, announcing that the pursuers had begun. Yunoha quietly glided after him, disappearing into the darkness and leaving MIX alone by the large tree.

"Of all the frustrating... Men! He's _worse_ than Andy!" MIX exclaimed. She ran off after Kagura, almost tripping over an exposed tree root in her hurry. Catching up to Yunoha, she placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder and asked, "How long can you make your invisibility last?"

"Um, if I focus hard enough, it should last the whole three hours," she said softly.

"Alright then, can you turn the two of us invisible? I'd hate to have you use two of your three Element power usages this early, but it would help a lot."

"What about Kagura-kun?"

"He'd probably say something along the lines of 'Stop interfering! I can do this alone.' There's no point in worrying about him."

"Damn right there isn't," Kagura stated from a tree branch above the two girls, causing MIX to jump. "That's not a bad idea though. You two go ahead and use your invisibility. Go cower in some hiding spot for the next three hours. I'll go on alone; it's win-win for all of us."

"If you get caught, we _all_ face a penalty," MIX exclaimed, irritation tainting her voice.

"Not my problem, now is it?" Kagura replied apathetically.

The boy leapt from the branch back down to the ground and, dropping to all fours, sprinted off faster than the two girls could possibly hope to run. Looking after him with a bit of sadness in her eyes, Yunoha sighed. MIX couldn't understand why the younger girl was so tolerant of Kagura's behavior.

Turning to MIX, Yunoha concentrated and used her power. MIX looked in surprise as her body and clothes faded from sight. It was disorienting, not being able to see your limbs.

"Take hold of my hand before I use it on myself," Yunoha said, "or else we might not be able to find each other."

Mix complied with her request, still marveling at how she couldn't see herself. Who cared about that jerk Kagura anyways? He could go off and get caught by himself; MIX wouldn't cry one bit over it.

Team three: Total time elapsed before imploding, 345 seconds.

* * *

Kagura sniffed at the air, trying to catch wind of the presence of anyone else in the forest. The other two members of his "team" were heading for a rocky cliff-face in search of a hiding spot. Even though they weren't visible, Kagura could find their precise location through scent alone. The wind in the forest shifted a little; he caught a familiar fragrance drifting in on the breeze.

"What is it?" Amata asked him.

"The green-haired girl," Kagura replied. "She's close, but I can't smell the others in her group."

"Zessica? I doubt she'd leave her group behind like you did so easily," Amata said.

"I had no choice but to do that," Kagura responded, somewhat angrily.

Amata sounded puzzled, "Because you think they'd get in your way?"

"Nah," Kagura replied, arrogance creeping into his voice. "Because this is a good chance to see just how strong the ones you call teachers here really are. I'm going to tie down their movements and I'll do it alone to prove that this 'teamwork' nonsense is worthless."

The roar of an engine drew Kagura's attention skywards. A single Vector had just taken off from the Academy's launch-strip and was circling around over the school buildings. There was no way that was fair, Kagura thought…but then he recalled the old man's first rule.

"Still think you can slow them down by yourself?" Amata asked.

"They can't tag us while they're in the machine, so we're safe as long as they're on it," Kagura replied, trying to sound calm. He knew that Amata could probably sense the hesitation he was feeling through their bond.

Luckily, the Vector seemed to be focused on something on the school rooftop for the time being. Kagura jumped down to the forest floor; if it came over the forest on a fly-by, the odds were good that whoever was piloting the thing wouldn't be able to see through the tree cover.

"Let's try to meet up with Zessica's group," Amata suggested. "Or find MIX and Yunoha. No one ever said that two groups couldn't band together."

"The more people in one area, the more likely we are to be found," Kagura answered. "Haven't you ever done an infiltration mission before?"

"Does that mission to Altair count?"

Kagura scoffed, but ran off towards the direction the green-haired girl's scent was coming from. It would be good to know what the other groups were up to so that he could avoid them interfering with his own plans. He hoped the two others assigned to his "team" had the sense to just hide somewhere; if he really was caught, he would hate to have to betray them and tag them out without a fight. Invisibility wouldn't save them from his acute sense of smell.

It wasn't long before he reached where Zessica was. She had her back turned to him and was scanning the surrounding forest nervously. Kagura purposely snapped a twig under his foot as he approached to test her reaction. She gave a small scream and jumped around before dropping to a fighting pose. It took her a moment to realize just who was standing there.

"Amata?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the weakling's not in control right now," Kagura answered.

"Can you switch over for a few moments? I have something I need to ask him," Zessica said. She had a bit of a pleading expression on her face.

Kagura opened his mouth to say no, but before he could, Amata tried to wrest control of the body from him.

"Damn it, Amata," he thought, "don't be in such a rush. Fine, I'll let you talk with your little girlfriend for a bit…just let me know when you're done. I had the urge to vomit the last time you two had a heart to heart so I'm going to block this one out."

Unfortunately, Kagura found that it was impossible to block out his sense of sight and hearing while occupying the same body as Amata. Yet another inconvenient aspect of sharing a body with his other half; he hoped that this situation could be remedied, and fast.

"What did you want to talk about, Zessica?" Amata asked.

The girl looked down at her feet, fiddling her hands. "It's embarrassing," she said, after a moment, "but can you stay with me for a bit until the others return? I really don't like the forest much. It's kind of dark and scary, and I don't do well with that combination."

Amata started laughing, which cause Zessica to puff up indignantly. She pointed a finger at him accusingly.

"What?" she asked loudly. "I'm completely serious here and you're treating it like a joke?"

"No, that's not it," Amata replied, choking back his mirth. "It's just that you reminded me of that time when we ran into Yunoha at night, back when she was still always invisible."

Kagura had seen that memory before. Amata had floated into the air in a panic and Zessica had grabbed onto him in fright and began running. The two of them had sped through the building, Amata being carried by the girl who was running blindly trying to get away. That little mishap had caused a misunderstanding between Amata and Mik—Sylvia.

Damn, Amata's memories were starting to affect his own perceptions; half the time he found himself thinking of Sylvia as her present self before correcting himself. Altair was behind him, his tentative understanding with Mykage was behind him, he no longer had his Mithra Gnis, the only thing he truly owned were his memories of Sylvia as she had been 12,000 years ago. He now recognized the memories that he originally had as false ones planted by Mykage, but now, they had largely been replaced by Apollo's true memories of the events of his previous incarnation. He couldn't allow himself to think of her as Mikono; he feared that doing so would mean rejecting his love of 12,000 years ago, the only thing he had left.

"-gura…Kagura!"

Amata was calling to him through their connection. Kagura was startled, he hadn't even realized how deep in his own thoughts he had been.

"What is it, weakling?"

"Do you mind if we stay put here with Zessica for a bit? I'll understand if you don't want to, since you had plans and all."

Kagura wanted to say that "yes, he did mind" but he thought better of it. Amata was already on the precipice of falling for the green-haired girl. This bit of time together might be enough to push him over, which would mean that Kagura would have Mikono—no, Sylvia— to himself. After all, Kagura had heard somewhere before that being in a frightening situation with someone of the opposite gender could amplify feelings of adoration. This could well be the opportunity he was waiting for.

"Fine, but you'd better not lose while you're in control of the body," Kagura replied gruffly.

"Thanks a lot, Kagura," Amata said. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Is it just me, or are you starting to be more considerate of people other than Mikono-san?"

That shocked Kagura; he had always tried to think of his actions as motivated by self-interest. His very existence was born from the desire to get what he wanted. Kagura told himself that Amata was just imagining things. He was only on Vega because he needed help to fight against Mykage. He only tolerated the presence of Amata's friends because they were the ones who could pilot the Aquarion, which was the only weapon that could possibly oppose Mykage. He had left his team behind because they would slow him down and get in the way of his plans, not because he wanted them somewhere safe and away from the riskier task he had set for himself. Even letting Amata have time with Zessica was motivated by self-interest. Wasn't it?

His thoughts were interrupted by the "old man in red's" voice echoing through the forest.

"Shrade Elan has just been eliminated and has now joined the hunting team. Team one is down to two players. There are 2 hours, 45 minutes left in the training exercise."

* * *

*notes: Let the games begin. The inspiration for the training exercise here actually came from a zombie-tag type game that was played one year at my university with a good number of students participating. Alright, time to discuss the plot a bit. This segment and the next will mostly be about developing Kagura's character and setting up a major event that will occur soon (probably 2-3 chapters time from now.) It's also a bit of a break from the seriousness of the Altair/Vega conflict and Mykage's plans.

I gave both Donar and Suomi Element powers which was never a point that was touched on in the show. My reason for doing this is because it'll come into play during the training exercise as well as later on in the show. I also wanted them to have somewhat complementary powers considering their "almost a couple" status by the end of Evol. I also feel that having Donar able to manipulate electric currents would be interesting considering all the exposed metal parts he has. Ok, I'll end the author's notes here but first, I want to thank you all for reading the story so far and especially those of you who have left reviews that have helped me improve the story. Preview of the next chapter title:

**Chapter 12: Cliffhanger**


	12. Chapter 12: Cliffhanger

**Chapter 12: Cliffhanger**

Andy and Jin made good time digging to the boys' dormitory. Andy marveled at how quickly he was moving dirt; ever since the "Training of the Grave," he had noticed that his affinity for his Element ability had grown stronger. They came up just to the left of the entryway to the building, right behind a shrub that would serve to conceal Andy's tunnel.

"Alright, let's go grab your computer and get out of here," Andy said. "Call it instincts, but I don't want to stick around longer than necessary."

As if to validate his suggestion, a Vector flew by overhead before circling the building and heading back towards the main hall of the academy. Vector X, based on the profile. The sound of the engines nearly deafened the two students.

"Gah! What are they thinking? Flying a Vector that low to the ground here of all places?" Andy exclaimed.

Still muttering about how his eardrums would never be the same, he stalked off, following Jin into the main lobby of the boys' dormitory. It was sparsely furnished, with just two couches, a coffee table, and a T.V. There was also a ping-pong table in one corner, but that hardly saw any use in recent days. From what Andy had heard, the girls' dormitory was about twenty times better equipped than theirs; one day, he intended to dig a hole all the way to that Eden to find the truth out for himself.

At this hour, few students were present within the dorms although there always were a few that faked being ill to get out of class. Not much risk of being spotted by one of the hunting party here. Still, Andy's instincts told him to be wary.

"Why are we sneaking through the hallways like a couple of thieves?" Jin asked after Andy scouted around a corner cautiously for the fourth time.

"It adds to the tension," Andy replied. "And I bet that the moment I stop doing this, we'll run into someone we don't want to meet."

Jin sighed, clearly not understanding what Andy had meant. As an avid horror movie fan, Andy had all the survival tropes memorized, enshrining their lessons within the temple known as his mind. He wasn't sure how being extra cautious would play out in this scenario; horror flicks were rather inconsistent about which type of individual survived until the end.

"Alright, I have my computer," Jin called from their shared bedroom. He ran out clutching the rectangular device to his chest. "Let's get back to Zessica-san before she starts worrying about us."

They were in such a hurry on the way back that Andy didn't even pause to look around the corners. After all, it had been all clear not 30 seconds ago and no one had been following them; no sense in wasting more time. In retrospect, Andy should have taken his own warnings more to heart. Rounding the first corner, Andy almost ran smack into someone who should not have been there.

"Shrade—," he said, a tinge of worry creeping into his voice.

"Hello Andy," the older boy said, smiling gently. "I take it you know that I'm part of the hunting team as of ten minutes ago?"

Andy took a step backwards. This was quite possibly the worse matchup he could think of aside from MIX, whose power was his exact opposite. He had seen Shrade's ability in action before and knew that there wasn't anything he could do to really defend against it. What was important now was to get Jin away; the other boy held the key to shutting down the hunting team's ability to find their targets.

"Jin," Andy said softly. "I'm going to buy you some time, you need to get away from here with the computer."

"What? That's stupid, Andy. We're a team, I can't just leave you. Besides, we'd all get hit with a penalty if you get caught."

"Heh," Andy laughed, "Then I'll just have to not get caught. It's alright, just leave this to me."

Shrade was standing there watching the pair as they conversed. From anyone else, waiting while the enemy planned would seem foolish and arrogant; from Shrade, it was clearly a gesture of politeness.

"Are you done yet?" he asked patiently.

"Thanks for waiting," Andy said, "That was awfully polite of you. But unfortunately, Jin and I—need to get past you!"

Slapping his hand to the ground, Andy bore a hole through the floor beneath his and Shrade's feet. The two fell through to the basement, leaving the way clear for Jin to make his escape. As he ran by, Jin shouted his thanks down to Andy, who briefly flashed the other boy a thumbs-up.

"_Damn_," Andy thought as he fell, "_I think I just tripped a death flag with that last one_."

Well, the fall didn't kill him at least. Even Shrade, who had a fairly frail body, managed to land on his feet without any trouble. Sometimes Andy wondered if the whole "he has an incurable physical condition which could kill him" thing was just a hoax. Then again, he couldn't think of any good reason why the higher-ups would lie about that.

"So, you forsake a duet in favor of a solo performance?" Shrade asked while adjusting his glasses. They had fallen askew during the fall.

"Nah, Jin has an important task so he doesn't have the time to play with you. I, on the other hand—," Andy said, cracking his knuckles, "do."

"You do realize that your loss condition is me tagging you, correct?"

Andy suddenly realized that the older boy had slowly maneuvered himself so that he was blocking the only exit from the room. He tried to feint running past to the left and then sidestepping to the right, but the older boy had enough combat experience to just stay put at the exit. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Is there any chance that I can talk you into letting me past?" Andy asked meekly, suddenly feeling way in over his head.

Shrade took up a pose as if he were going to start playing the violin. With a smile, he said, "Let's just end this now. As a kindness to the one whose soul plays to the tempo of burning passions."

At the first notes coming from Shrade's person, Andy started feeling heavy, as if sleep were bearing down on him. He staggered backwards before hitting the wall at the end of the room, leaning on it in an effort to stay awake. His eyelids started to close and a moment later, he felt himself falling to the ground.

"Good night, Andy," Shrade said, ending his lullaby and walking over to Andy's prone form slowly.

Through some stroke of luck, Andy hadn't completely fallen asleep when Shrade stopped playing. He felt his mind reasserting control over his body as the footfalls of the older boy came nearer. Straining every fiber of his being into activating his power, Andy managed to open a pit just as Shrade was about to tag him, dropping through just below the boy's hand. He focused on the structural weakness of the tunnel above him as he continued to dig, collapsing the entrance to the tunnel and preventing Shrade from following. Then, laughing softly to himself, he fell on his back in exhaustion, the adrenaline rush slowly fading away as he drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Zessica sat on a fallen log across from Amata who was standing up; his back turned to her as he scanned the forest for signs of movement. She hadn't really noticed it before, but he had a broad back, the kind that made you feel like he could be relied on for anything. The forest didn't seem nearly as frightening when he was around.

"What?" he asked, turning around.

"Huh?"

"You have a weird smile on your face, like you know something I don't." Amata smiled at her to show that he had meant no malice with his words. That smile was breathtaking, even if it was a little different from before, when he wasn't sharing a body with Kagura.

Zessica hadn't even realized that she was smiling. Blushing and turning away so that he wouldn't notice, she answered, "It's nothing. I'm—just glad to have some company here."

That was the truth, just not the whole of it. She didn't think she would be able to say the rest of it in front of Amata at all. Not when he was merged with Kagura at least. It wasn't fair at all. No matter what she did, she could never truly have "alone time" with Amata as things were now.

"It shouldn't take Jin and Andy this long to go to the boys' dorm and back," Amata said, sounding a little concerned. "I hope they're alright."

"If they were caught, it would have been announced," Zessica replied. "But now that you mention it, it does seem like they've been gone forever. Do you have the time?"

"10:36," Amata answered, pulling out a phone from his pocket. "The exercise started at 10 precisely."

They'd been gone for just over half an hour now. Zessica was really starting to regret accepting the boys' decision to split up. What if she was the only one left? There wasn't much that she could do alone and she didn't want to cower in some hidden crevice in the forest until time was up.

"I HATE all this waiting around," Zessica declared loudly, standing up.

Amata looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Then, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Something. _Anything_. I just can't stand being the one that isn't doing anything for my team," Zessica complained. She knew that feeling this way was a little childish, but it was lonely being left out of everything.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Kagura kind of drove off my teammates, so I'm stuck solo. I doubt that's good considering my power is a bit on the flashy, attention grabbing side."

A sudden rustling in the bushes nearby drew their attention. A moment later, Jin came staggering out, trying to untangle his long robe-like coat from the brambles.

"I got my laptop," he said, holding up the prize he had set forth to get. "I'll get started shutting down the security feed."

"Where's Andy?" Zessica asked, "Wasn't he with you?"

Jin looked a bit concerned. "He stayed behind to buy me some time to get away. We almost got caught by Shrade. I hope he managed to get away; he certainly seemed confident enough about being able to do so."

Amata couldn't help but burst out laughing. He knew his roommate's personality too well not to. Jin stared at him like he was going insane. Zessica looked at him, completely taken aback by Amata's seemingly uncaring attitude towards his friend; something she knew was very unlike him.

"Ah, I needed that," he said, wiping away a tear that was welling up in his eye. At the expression on Zessica and Jin's faces, he added, "Sorry. It's just that Andy used to quote a bunch of movie lines that he wanted to use in real-life. He's always so over-the-top about everything; I'd bet he was hamming it up even when facing off with Shrade."

That did seem like something Andy would try, though with the threat of punishment…Actually, never mind, Andy didn't seem to care much about being reprimanded, as all the holes he dug around the campus would suggest. Zessica smiled, realizing that she had been getting a bit too serious over the Supreme Commander's ridiculous idea of training.

It didn't take long for Jin to break into the Neo-DEAVA mainframe. Multiple windows of data popped up on the screen, each showing the feed from a single camera on the school grounds. Zessica looked over Jin's shoulder, but the jumble of information flowing across the monitor made her feel dizzy.

"You know, it'd probably be helpful to leave the security cameras running," Jin said as he scanned the images on his laptop. "We'd be able to track the hunting team quite handily with this. I see Shrade still in the boys' dorm...looks like Malloy is there too. No sign of Andy, I guess that's good news. It looks like Instructor Dantes is the one piloting the Vector X, and Suomi-sensei—"

Jin paused, a horrified expression spreading across his face. His computer screen filled with static and suddenly went black. The three students turned around, looking for whatever had caused the laptop to crash.

"Well now, what have we here?" Suomi-sensei said as she stepping into the small clearing. "You know Jin-kun, hacking into your school's mainframe isn't proper behavior for a student."

Jin fell to the ground, pinned down by some unknown force. Turning to look at Zessica and Amata, he pleaded with them to leave him behind.

"What? We can't just do that," Zessica protested.

Amata looked just as resolute as she felt. They both stepped in between Jin and Suomi-sensei in unison.

"How did you do that to Jin-kun?" Zessica asked, her expression showing that she demanded an answer. "Your power is magnetism, isn't it?"

"My fault," Jin groaned from his position on the ground. "I keep several toolkits in my coat for emergencies. I never thought that being prepared would actually end up working against me."

Suomi-sensei calmly looked at the three students. "Now then," she said, "are you going to take Jin-kun's suggestion and leave a man behind, or are you all going to let yourselves be tagged out by me?"

Zessica had always thought of Suomi-sensei as a rather strict and conservative instructor, but her expression now clearly showed that she was taking pleasure in acting the villain. Perhaps teaching day in day out had stressed her out to the point where she longed for some form of revenge against her students. Zessica quickly tried to think of options to get out of this mess.

Incapacitate the teacher? There wasn't any flexible yet strong enough material she could bind Suomi-sensei with. Twisting a branch or tree trunk into snapping and falling on the woman would work, but that was unethical, not to mention dangerous. She tried to pull Jin-Kun to his feet but found that while she could lift his arms, she couldn't lift the rest of him off the ground.

"Any ideas, Amata?" she asked desperately.

"Just one, and it involves talking Kagura into using one of our three Element ability uses to help someone that isn't on his team or named Mikono-san; I'm not getting my hopes up," Amata answered apologetically. He shut his eyes and remained motionless for a while.

* * *

"I heard everything you and the girl said, and you already know my answer," Kagura replied before Amata could even get the question in.

"And here I thought you and Jin-kun were friends."

"Just because two people occasionally interact doesn't make them friends. Jin and I used one another to meet our goals, it was as simple as that. He and I both know that in the end, the weak are culled and the strong live on," Kagura said. Then, he added, "Or that's what I thought he understood."

It was somewhat saddening to think of how much Jin had changed since he had left Altair. But oddly enough, it seemed like the other boy was happy with the change Vega had wrought in him; Kagura couldn't see how becoming weaker could make anyone happy. It made no sense and yet, he found himself intrigued by this paradox. Maybe he could find an answer by helping the "Last Son of Altair."

"Fine," Kagura replied, "Give me control of the body."

"You mean you'll—?"

"Do it before I change my mind, weakling."

Was that a smirk Amata twisted his face into before passing control to him? Kagura didn't really care, he just wanted to find an answer to his question. Did relying on others make you stronger as a person? Or had he always been correct in isolating himself? The old man in red was ridiculously strong and yet always seemed to rely on others to do the fighting. Mykage was the same. Kagura was getting more confused as he thought about it. Might as well just stop thinking and start acting.

"Reverse!" he shouted. Jin practically shot up off the ground as the magnetic field keeping him immobile dissipated.

To prevent the woman from merely reusing her power, Kagura took advantage of the brief moment of shock when her Element ability was dispersed to close the distance and strike her on the back of the neck hard enough to knock her unconscious. He was careful to avoid contact with the woman's hand as she collapsed onto the ground; he wasn't sure if that would constitute getting "tagged," but he wasn't going to risk it.

"Thank you, Kagura," Jin said breathlessly as he brushed himself off. He stretched out a hand, intending to shake Kagura's hand, "You really saved me there."

Kagura turned away and ignored the other boy. Saving the other boy was probably going to prove to be a complete waste of effort.

"I'm going on alone," Kagura said, making a point not to look at the other two. "I'm not a part of your little 'team' to begin with and I'm not going to stick around until that woman wakes up or someone else from the hunting team finds us."

* * *

Cayenne ran across the track field, not caring whether he was spotted from the air or not. Behind him, Sazanka called out to him to slow down so she could keep up. Camping out on the roof had been an unforeseen disaster. Distracted by the Vector's presence above the building, none of the members of Team One had realized that Malloy had snuck to the floor directly below them, guided by the pilot of the Vector X. Worst yet, the person who had fallen through the structurally weakened rooftop and got tagged had been Shrade. Cayenne had only managed to get away with Sazanka before he fell to a similar fate because there had been a grappling hook inside the pack of supplies he had picked up.

"Damn it," Cayenne cursed as he slowed down to match Sazanka's pace. If only he had been willing to activate his Prophecy of Despair, Shrade might not have…

They made it into the woods safely and began looking for a place where they might be able to find shelter to burn some time off the clock. They would have to move fast; Cayenne knew that whoever was piloting the Vector had probably seen them from the air. Luckily, they found a cave that looked promising. It offered protection from aerial reconnaissance and an elevated vantage point from which they could see anyone approaching.

"Let's hole up here for a while," Cayenne said, dropping his load onto the ground.

He checked his ammunition and the supplies he had left. A first aid kit, flashlight, radio, length of rope, a signaling mirror, survival knife, two flashbangs, and a box of matches. Everything he could possibly need. Sazanka, without being asked, immediately returned to her role as the lookout; Cayenne didn't blame her for Shrade's capture, the fault was in his own oversight.

An announcement over the P.A. system cut into the air, "Andy W. Hol has been eliminated. 1 hour 45 minutes remain in the training exercise."

"So they managed to get him as well," Cayenne mused.

Things were starting to pick up; the hunting team now had five members. The teams focused on survival were now down to seven members total. One more capture meant that both sides would be equal in numbers. Andy's affinity for tunneling meant that members of the hunting team could pop up from underground almost anywhere. Even more worrying was Shrade being on the other team. Cayenne was already hesitant to fire tranq darts at anyone, but his friend was physically frail; a tranquilizer might worsen his condition to the point where it required extended hospitalization. He wasn't willing to risk the safety of his closest companion for the sake of one of the Supreme Commander's ridiculous training exercises. Maybe it was time to find the other groups and band together.

"Vector sighted," Sazanka warned, pointing at the skies.

A black dot was moving swiftly in their direction. Cayenne raised the scope of his weapon to his eye to get a closer look. The Vector _was_ heading straight for them, as if the pilot knew where they were. It landed in a clearing nearby.

Cayenne knew that now was the time to decide on whether to fight or run. He chose to fight. It was the option that made the most sense to him. If he managed to eliminate the pilot, Cayenne would get rid of the enemy's eye in the sky and could claim the Vector for his own. Once that was in his possession, it would be all but impossible for anyone from the other team to tag him out in the remaining time. Also, he had the high ground and a numeric advantage; the odds were in his favor.

"Be my spotter. We're going to take out the pilot of that Vector," Cayenne whispered to Sazanka as he shouldered his weapon. He didn't think he would really need her help for this, considering his accuracy on the shooting range, but he didn't want to risk another mistake like he made with Shrade.

The girl nodded and crawled next to him, looking through her binoculars in the direction the Vector had landed. One minute passed in silence, and then another. Five minutes lasting an eternity stretched into five more lasting even longer. Unable to handle staying perfectly still any longer, Sazanka stretched her shoulders and her back.

That proved to be a mistake. With a cry that was cut short, she collapsed onto the ground, struck down by an unseen enemy. Cayenne cautiously moved to her side where he found a small triangular dart piercing her neck, the point just barely deep enough to penetrate the skin. He checked her breathing; relaxed and slow, as if she were in a deep sleep.

The person he was facing was obviously a skilled sniper, capable of staying undetected until opportunity presented itself. Also, that type of accuracy, firing uphill with a small dart that could be blown off-course by the slightest breeze without Cayenne seeing where the shot had come from…his enemy could be none other than Instructor Dantes. It seemed that the tales passed around the boys' side of the school about the man's exploits had some truth to them after all.

Sazanka was out of the fight. Cayenne had no idea when she would regain consciousness. He couldn't get away with her, not with Instructor Dantes out there somewhere, waiting. He had no choice but to use his "Prophecy of Despair" to locate his target and secure a quick victory over his teacher.

He focused on seeing beyond what his eyes alone could perceive. A glowing cross, tapered to a point at the ends, appeared across his forehead.

"Prophecy of Despair." Growing up, his ability lived up to its name, activating automatically in the presence of anyone who would soon befall misfortune. His earliest memories were full of people being abducted to Altair, falling victim to unavoidable accidents, or getting mugged and/or murdered. No matter what he did, his predictions inevitably came true. It had taken him many years to gain rudimentary control over it and now, it only activated when he wanted it to or if something drastic was going to happen to someone he cared about.

His ability had strengthened since the "Training of the Grave." Now, he was able to use it to see up to ten seconds into the future. Those several seconds were just long enough for him to prepare and act, but short enough that the future was still uncertain, meaning that he could alter unwanted consequences.

"Come on. Where are you, instructor?" Cayenne muttered.

His ability also had another useful effect. He could literally "see" misfortune as a vague black mist radiating from its point of origin. Right now, a man-shaped patch of said mist was rising from behind heavy brush; Donar Dantes had to be hiding there. The cover was too thick for Cayenne to shoot through and be guaranteed a hit, so he waited in ambush.

Another ten minutes passed.

Cayenne continued to monitor Instructor Dantes through his scope. The man had not budged an inch since Cayenne had spotted him. He was an impressively patient and disciplined soldier.

"You're not bad, Suzushiro Cayenne. But you still have a lot to learn," a cool, collected voice stated from somewhere above him.

Cayenne turned towards the source of the voice, completely startled due to how focused he had been facing the other direction. There, standing on a rocky overhang overlooking the cave, was Instructor Dantes. Through the "Prophecy of Despair" Cayenne could see a massive "cloud" of misfortune surrounding the man, completely blocking out his form.

"But—how—?" Cayenne turned towards the other source of misfortune he had seen. He grunted as a dart hit him in the leg. He tried to raise his own weapon at the Instructor…no use. His arms wouldn't budge.

"A decoy dummy dressed in my clothes. I had figured you might be able to spot it if you looked carefully enough, so I purposely left that there while I snuck around and flanked you."

The instructor carefully climbed down to Cayenne's level, taking his time. Neither Cayenne nor Sazanka were going to be moving anywhere fast. He stopped to tag Sazanka first. Immediately, an announcement made it known to everyone participating that she had been eliminated. Turning around, he reached out to tag out Cayenne. Just before he made contact, a sound made him freeze and look off to the side.

A spilt second later, the Instructor was hurled to the side. Cayenne strained to move his neck and see just who had saved him. It was the last person he would have expected.

"You!" he managed to exclaim.

Kagura loomed over him, looking at Cayenne's prone form with that infuriatingly mocking grin plastered to his face. The other boy bent to retrieve Cayenne's dropped weapon and, without hesitation, fired on Instructor Dantes as he was recovering. The man collapsed back onto the ground in a heap.

"I had thought that the teachers here could provide me with at least a little bit of a challenge," Kagura scoffed.

"You—what are you doing here?" Cayenne asked incredulously.

"If it isn't the brother of my wench," he answered, causing Cayenne to scowl at him. He did _not_ like this boy at all.

"Mikono is _not_ your wench," he said angrily, trying to get up to his feet so that he could deck the smug intruder. He still couldn't move.

"She will be…once I reclaim her from that bastard Mykage. You have no say in the matter; one who was too weak to hold on to her. Though I have to say, you did play your part as bait well. I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep you around…Reverse!"

Cayenne felt strength returning to his limbs as whatever paralytic substance was on Instructor Dantes' dart exited his body. He flexed his fingers experimentally. When he found that he could move them perfectly well, he swung his arm around and tried to connect his fist to the other boy's face. Needless to say, Kagura avoided it easily.

"Is that any way to treat your rescuer? I suppose Amata was wrong about doing good deeds and others returning the favor," the wild boy laughed. Turning his back to Cayenne, he dropped the dart rifle and sprinted off, reaching tree cover before Cayenne could pick up the weapon and shoot him.

"Damn it," Cayenne said, utterly frustrated. Like it or not, he felt like he owed the other boy a debt and, as a proud member of the prestigious Suzushiro family, he was honor-bound to pay that debt off.

* * *

"I don't see how you can still think that 'teamwork' and 'friendship' are valuable," Kagura said disdainfully to Amata's presence inside his head. "After all, I beat both instructors on my own without any help and, each time, they had cornered people who were teamed up."

Kagura bit down on an apple, savoring the sweet juicy taste of the fruit. The boy had had the audacity to go to the cafeteria in the middle of the exercise and request food. As he sat down to eat, a small but growing crowd of curious students gathered on the periphery, whispering amongst themselves. All the details of Fudo Zen's training exercise were supposedly kept top-secret which, of course, meant that everyone in the school now knew that Kagura Demuri had taken down two instructors in less than half an hour.

It was now an hour after Kagura had defeated Instructor Dantes; in that time, no other students had been caught. Amata kept saying that he 'had a bad feeling' about how quiet the hunting team was…the coward. If the other team was too intimidated by him to give chase, all the better for Kagura. He would win this little game of the Supreme Commander's and show Amata that friends were worthless.

"It _is_ valuable, Kagura. Both times you had the advantage of surprise because the instructor was focused on someone other than you," Amata argued back. "You wouldn't have fared nearly as well if it was one-on-one."

Kagura gave a snort of derision. "As long as I have my power of 'Reversal,' I'm untouchable."

"What about that time I slugged you across the face?" Amata countered.

"Lucky shot."

"I still hit you."

They went back and forth with that argument almost childishly. After a while, Amata kept silent, probably to keep the conversation from degenerating into name-calling and insults. Kagura frowned. Amata _did_ have a point about both times he had knocked out one of the instructors. Still, credit for the accomplishments was rightfully his.

He raised the apple to his lips again to take another bite, but as he did, the ground beneath him caved in, revealing a deep tunnel. At the bottom stood Andy, covered completely in dirt and dust, hands outstretched to tag Kagura as he fell.

Kagura didn't want to use it, but he reacted instinctively to the danger.

"Reverse!" he shouted and was immediately levitated out of the hole and back inside the cafeteria. He didn't even register the fact that he had used up his third and final Element power use until a second later.

With a look of dawning realization, he quickly ran for the exit to the cafeteria, only to find it blocked off by Malloy and Sazanka.

"You've given our team quite a bit of trouble, Kagura-kun," Sazanka said in her typical overly cheerful manner. This girl seriously creeped Kagura out. She had seemed _way_ too excited when she had found out that he and Amata were sharing the same body and constantly pressured the two of them to talk about their experiences; that in itself wasn't so bad, but every time she had asked, there had been a little bit of drool running down from the side of her mouth.

Kagura fled back towards the windows. Without his ability, the drop would be impossible for an average human being. Kagura, however, was anything but ordinary, and he jumped out the window without hesitation, kicking off the wall and catching on to ledges all the way down to the ground below.

Outside, waiting for him, were Instructor Dantes and Suomi-sensei, both of them looking eager for a rematch—and slightly vengeful. Kagura barely managed to dodge Instructor Dantes' mechanical hand as it shot from his arm at him, guided by a steel cable. Slipping to the side, he made a break for the forest, intending to lose his pursuers there with his superior speed and agility.

Only one obstacle remained in his way. A tall, blond-haired boy with a thin frame and a half unbuttoned shirt. The one person on the opposing team that Kagura had no desire to tangle with, especially now that he was not allowed to access his powers.

Kagura made to run around Shrade, intending to bypass him entirely, but before he could, his body seized up, held captive by Shrade using his ability. Soundwaves that manipulated the senses and hijacked the body. Kagura was fast, but even he could not travel the 343.2 meters per second needed to avoid Shrade's power.

Kagura fell to his knees, barely able to stay conscious. As he struggled against Shrade's demonic symphony, he became vaguely aware of the sound of footsteps from behind him. It seemed the rest of the hunting team had caught up.

In his head, he heard Amata saying, somewhat sadly, "And _that_ is why teamwork is important, Kagura."

* * *

The girl slowly became aware of something dripping onto the floor nearby. She had no feeling within any of her limbs and her very existence seemed detached from a physical body. She had been confined to darkness for so long that she could no longer remember when she had first been placed into this realm of oblivion.

_Drip drip drip._

The sound would have been soothing at any other time, but in the darkness, each drop sounded far louder than usual and echoed all about her. It became maddening after a while. She prayed for someone—_anyone , _to release her from this torment.

_You have been abandoned…_

She tried to deny it. Tried to scream at the voice that invaded her head and mocked her efforts.

_They left you here to die, left you here to rot._

She screamed out a name that she could barely remember. Her voice didn't come out. That name was someone important to her; she knew that much, at least. Someone who would give everything to take her from this place. The name soon slipped from her mind like dry sand between one's fingers.

_You have been abandoned by _him_. Just like you were 12,000 years ago_.

No! She tried to scream again. Her voice still refused to come out. She felt squeezed, pressed into nothingness by the oppressiveness of her environment.

_They will not come for you. Not Apollonius, nor Apollo. You ARE alone; as you deserve_.

Apollonius. That name rang in her heart. But if that name rang, the second sounded like all the trumpets and all the horns in the world at once, resonating with her very soul.

_You still feel hope? There is no hope for you. When you come to realize that your treacherous love has been repaid in kind with betrayal and treachery. When you come to realize that your so-called love has abandoned you to your fate. That is when you will realize the truth. That dark, unwanted truth that you name despair…_

The girl wanted to scream, to cry, to curl up and disappear. The voice in her mind had finally gone quiet, but her prayers for release went unanswered. She tried to focus on those names. Apollonius…Apollo...Apollonius…Apo…

_Drip…Drip…Drip…_

* * *

*Notes: I don't really have much to say about this chapter (blatant lie right there, I always have stuff to say.) It was fun to write, especially the parts with Andy trying to show off. Unlike the anime, he hasn't felt the crushing despair that was part of his character development so I'll need to arrange for him to change due to some other stimulus. Kagura finally lands in trouble; I've always felt that he spams his power too much in the anime. Fall into a hole? Reverse. Someone's flying around? Reverse. Giant sword wielding mecha slicing your own giant mecha in half? Reverse. That was part of the reason behind the "three uses of Element abilities only." Speaking of Kagura, I feel like Amata and Kagura are acting sort of like brothers now, complete with trying to one-up the other. I didn't really intend on doing it this way, but its an interesting enough dynamic so I think I'll run with it and see how it goes.

No points for guessing whose perspective the final segment is from; I'm pretty sure that it's obvious. The training arc will finish up next chapter and I can safely say that something major will happen by the end of the next chapter. Title preview:

**Chapter 13: Yin and Yang**


	13. Chapter 13:Yin and Yang

**Chapter 13: Yin and Yang**

Amata watched as Kagura struggled to his feet, unable to do anything to help. It was a strange sensation; Amata could feel every muscle in his body struggling, but the one putting forth all the effort was the other boy. Kagura glared at Shrade, determined to remain defiant until the end. Around him, the other members of the hunting group closed around, penning him in.

"Looks like this is the end of the line," Amata said nervously.

"Why don't you—shut—up?" Kagura responded slowly, enunciating each word forcefully due to the incapacitating pain he was feeling.

"Fire in the hole!"

The voice of someone new drew the attention of everyone present. Shrade had the foresight to quickly try and tag Kagura out, but a foot from tapping his shoulder, the older boy's hand met a solid barrier. The rest of the hunting group's attention was drawn to a small arcing object, hurled from the tree line twenty feet away. Seconds later, it detonated with a loud bang, and a flash of light scoured the area. Amata found himself blinded and deafened.

"That was a flashbang," he thought aloud to Kagura. "Looks like someone out there is trying to help you. If you can still run, I'd suggest doing so."

Most people would have been completely disoriented and unable to act. Kagura did seem very shaky, but since he was running on all fours, his balance was good enough that he didn't fall over. Losing his sense of sight meant very little to the boy, he relied just as much on his sense of smell as he did on vision to guide himself. Kagura followed his nose towards where the flashbang had been thrown from.

Amata felt his arms being lifted over someone's shoulder. His vision was starting to come back now and, to his surprise, the one who was helping him walk was Cayenne. The older boy was saying something, but Amata's ears still didn't seem to be functioning. Kagura was muttering the whole time about "not needing anyone's help to walk" but all the same, he wasn't trying very hard to cast off that support.

Cayenne led the way into a small clearing where several other students were waiting for them. The older boy indicated a log, presumably for Kagura to sit on as he recovered. Jin came into the clearing a little while later, looking rather pleased with himself. It took Kagura (and by extension, Amata) about 3 minutes to fully recover his hearing and sight.

"—don't know how much longer the inverted barrier will hold," Jin was saying.

"Well, that's good enough for now. I'm surprised you managed to catch them all with your power once they knew we were there," Cayenne replied.

Jin looked abashed at the praise. Kagura finally took the time to look around the clearing at the other occupants. Aside from Jin and Cayenne, it looked like everyone who was still in the game was there. Zessica was sitting on a stump with her head resting on her chin, following the conversation between the two boys. MIX and Yunoha were both there as well; Amata had figured that the two of them would have opted to stay hidden for the rest of the training exercise. It certainly would have been the safer thing to do. Yunoha kept on shooting shy glances at Jin when she thought he wasn't looking. By the way she was fidgeting, it looked like she wanted to say something to him.

"The question is," Zessica interrupted, "What do we do now? Jin-kun's barrier won't hold forever, and we still have some time left until the end of the training."

"We could just split up and hide again," Cayenne mused. "There's no way they'd be able to get all of us in time."

Yunoha protested, "But that's just—." She thought for a bit. "Not right…" she finished a little awkwardly. "We all came here to help Amata-kun and Kagura-kun, now that we're together, shouldn't we stick together?"

Cayenne looked a little taken aback. After a moment, he said, "I only came because I had a debt to repay. As far as I'm concerned, I'm even with _that_ boy now. I have no reason to stick around."

Kagura spoke for the first time since he had been rescued.

"He's right. None of you owe me anything and I don't want your help anyways. Splitting up would be the smart thing to do if you want to stay in the game until it ends."

The others looked at him. Cayenne looked a little shocked that the two of them were agreeing, but the rest had neutral expressions on their faces. It was Jin who finally answered him.

"We didn't come because we felt we owed you anything," he said. Then, taking a look at Cayenne, "Not all of us, at least. We came because we wanted to; because you're one of us, whether you like it or not. There is no such thing as a debt between friends, Kagura. You need to learn that. I know you're used to working alone, but there is a strength to numbers and strong bonds that cannot be broken by any force. It's hard to trust in others, no one knows that better than I do. Kagura, you need to let others into your life if you expect to rescue Mikono-san; we're here for you when you need us."

"Jin...you—"

Amata could feel a confused hesitation coming from Kagura's presence within his mind. He took the chance to speak his mind.

"Kagura, I've seen your memories so I know how hard it must have been for you in the past. I've never met anyone who suffered as much from loneliness as you, and that includes the decade for me between mother disappearing and entering Neo-DEAVA. Don't try to argue with me; I'm you and you're me. You can't hide anything from me. Let them be your strength and be theirs in turn."

Kagura closed his eyes to think. Finally, after a long moment, he opened them again and, sighing, said, "Fine. Have it your way."

Jin broke into a rare smile, "I knew you'd come around eventually. So—now that we've decided to stick together, what's the plan?"

"Hold on, I haven't agreed to this yet," Cayenne said solemnly.

"Well, you can feel free to join in if you want or leave. We're not holding you to anything, Cayenne-san," Jin replied.

"I might as well join in," Cayenne sighed. "If I go alone, they'd probably go after me since I'd be alone and an easier target."

"So, we're going to fight?" Zessica asked, jumping to her feet and looking very excited. Amata could tell that all the waiting around was making her impatient.

"No," Kagura said with a wide grin. "We're going to _win_."

Everyone looked at him and, at the sight of how confident he was, smiled at him.

"What's this warm feeling I'm getting?" Kagura asked Amata through their link. "It feels…nostalgic. Like it was something I've forgotten from a past life."

Amata could feel it too through their bond.

"The warmth of being with friends. Of sharing your strengths with them and them with you. Didn't you feel it in Apollo's memories? "

A strong wave of amusement flowed through their connection as Kagura answered, "I thought that was a delusion or because he was near Sylvia at the time. Friends, huh? I guess this feeling isn't so bad. If it does make me weaker though, I'm blaming you."

Kagura flexed his fingers in anticipation. Behind him, Amata's companions, now Kagura's as well, moved to join him. The final battle of Fudo Zen's training exercise was about to get underway.

* * *

Headmistress Crea's eyebrows twitched dangerously as she regarded the kneeling forms of 10 students and 2 instructors in front of her. Behind them, smoke rose from the edge of the forest ground where the last fight of the training exercise had taken place.

"Of all the—," she began, sounding exasperated.

She turned to Supreme Commander Fudo to see if he had any words for them. He had that unchanging smirk on his face as he looked down upon the participants in his training. A face that said, "Just as I had anticipated" better than words. There would be no help coming from him it seemed, so Crea turned back to face everyone.

"What makes you all think it was alright to go completely overboard with your powers like that?" Crea asked, her voice quiet and steely cold. Everybody she was addressing flinched.

"Especially you two," Crea continued, looking at Instructor Dantes and Suomi-sensei. "The students might have the excuse of lack of control, but I really had higher expectations of you two."

Out of the corner of her eye, the Headmistress noticed Andy smirking in Donar's direction. For their part, both instructors looked properly abashed by their behavior.

"Andy, MIX…I have decided on a proper punishment for you two," Crea stated as she turned to face the two. "MIX, you will dig out the hills you created when you overcompensated when filling the trenches Andy made. Andy, you will fill in all the holes, trenches, pitfalls, and tunnels you made using the spare soil from MIX's punishment. Both of you will do it _by hand_. Take as long as you need."

"As for the rest of you…"

Everyone looked frightened, including the instructors. If Andy and MIX's punishment was that harsh, they could only imagine how bad theirs would be.

"You have two choices. The first is to sit in the front hall of the academy in seiza position until I decide on a suitable course of action. The second is to help Andy and MIX out with their own tasks."

Never before in her long life had Crea seen a group of young adults scramble so quickly for shovels to embark on manual labor. Good thing too, because she really didn't want to wrack her mind thinking of a dozen separate and appropriate punishments.

"Not so fast, Kagura-kun. You and Amata-kun have somewhere else you need to be," Crea called out to the orange-haired boy. It was getting hard to tell who was in control of that body. "Follow the Supreme Commander."

Crea walked over to the battlefield. Really, what had everyone been thinking? Large craters pocketed the ground, contrasting with mounds of earth rising to twice again Crea's height. Blackened areas of withered grass from where lightning had fallen from a cloudless sky smoldered angrily; it was lucky that nothing had actually caught on fire. She planned the next lecture to present in the classroom in her head. A lecture that would be titled "Common Sense for the Judgment-Impaired."

* * *

Kagura walked behind the Supreme Commander, somewhat curious as to where to they were heading. He had already asked several times, but each time, the mysterious man just deflected his question with cryptic answers. He considered trying to beat the answer out of the Supreme Commander, but Kagura knew that success was as likely as the planet stopping dead in orbit.

Their destination was a room with a very impressive looking steel security door, guarded by two men in Altair uniforms. Kagura didn't recognize either guard; not surprising considering how little he had cared about the people behind those face concealing helmets back when he was an irregular working with the military. The door opened with a hiss of machinery, revealing a brightly-lit, pristine room filled with complex machinery. In the middle of the room, connected to several devices by tubes, was a crystalline capsule with a woman inside. Amata's emotions flooded through him: Disbelief, wonder, joy, all tainted with an undercurrent of fear and anger. Kagura didn't blame him. That woman was Alicia Sora…Amata's mother..._his_ mother.

Not surprisingly, Commander Izumo was inside the room as well. Kagura had heard of his connection to the man through Amata's memories. He grinned to himself. He was looking forward to this encounter with vindictive pleasure. Calmly walking up to the Commander, Kagura paused a pace away.

"Good afternoon…dad," he said politely.

Commander Izumo blinked, clearly caught off-guard.

"Wha—" he began.

Kagura's fist sent him sprawling to the ground. It felt every bit as good as he had imagined it would. "That," he spat, "was for you being a terrible father for the past 10 years you overbearing jerk."

Commander Izumo got to his feet, wiping away a spot of blood on his sleeves as he did. He glared at Kagura menacingly.

"What is the meaning of this, Kagura? Have you lost your mind even more so than before?" the Commander asked, voice as cold as ice.

"Not at all," Kagura grinned back, hoping to incite the implacable man further. "Perhaps the son you left behind on Vega can explain it better."

Without pausing to ask if Amata was ready, Kagura switched with him. It was getting easier and easier to do so; perhaps because the two were becoming more similar.

Commander Izumo seemed to notice the shift instantly. At the least, his expression softened somewhat as he asked, "So you knew? All this time?"

"Ever since you and Zessica-san had that talk in the infirmary," Amata replied. "And since you don't seem to know, Kagura and I are _both_ your son. You might not have noticed since you were busy stealing mother away to Altair, but at that time, Mykage split my—our soul in two and we became two separate entities."

The bitterness in Amata's voice was palpable. Commander Izumo took note and replied sadly, "You're angry with me, I know. You have every right to be. But—Kagura as my son? That's…difficult to accept without proof."

Amata opened his mouth to answer his father, but before he could, a man in a white lab-coat tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sir, we're going to start the procedure, so I'd like to ask all of you to stand back a bit," a technician interrupted.

Commander Izumo complied with the technician's request. Amata, in a somewhat obvious gesture, opted to move to the side of the room furthest from his father.

"Procedure? What procedure would that be?" Amata asked one of the franticly active aides in the room.

"You weren't told? We're in the middle of getting your mother out of stasis. I'm surprised no one had told you earlier," the woman replied, hurrying off even before she had finished speaking.

"Yeah—surprised…" Amata mumbled to himself. No one except for Kagura could hear him, or sense the bitterness that now threatened to engulf him.

He spent most of the time it took for the technicians to get ready mainly staring wistfully at his mother's prison. The rest of the time he spent glaring in Izumo's direction. Kagura sensed pain coming through from the bond, the sort he had felt when Silvi—Mikono had been just out of reach. For Kagura to feel it that sharply, Amata must have been suffering greatly.

"Beginning in 3…2…1…"

A dim green glow filled the room, slowly increasing in intensity. It bathed everything in eerie light before flickering and suddenly vanishing. When it all ended, the figure of Alicia Sora lay on the inclined cradle that had housed the gem-like prison that held her. Her face was so serene that it looked like she was asleep.

"The procedure, was a success," the head technician called out, looking at the vital signs graphed on a computer screen before him.

Amata and Izumo raced each other to the Alicia's side. Amata got there first and grasped her right hand. Commander Izumo, arriving a moment later, took her left hand in his. As if she was waiting for that signal, Amata's mother stirred at the contact, slowly opening her eyes. Blinking, she turned her head back and forth between the two men at her side, as if she could not believe her eyes.

"Dearest, why are you?" she asked hesitantly, facing Izumo. Izumo responded with a smile and, unlike his usual stoic self, tears in his eyes. Then turning to Amata, Alicia gasped, "Amata? You've grown so big." She had a sad sort of smile on her face, one that said she regretted not having been there to see the boy become a man in his own right.

She had a melancholic expression as she continued , "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

Blinking back tears, Amata managed to choke out, "You left me. Alone…"

"Yes, I did," she nodded weakly. "And I've never regretted doing anything more in my life. It seemed like the best choice at the time, I was only supposed to be gone for a few days at most and I didn't want to put you in danger by taking you along. Not even Izumo knew the effects that might befall a child going through the tunnel between worlds."

"A few days?" Amata scoffed. Then, much quieter, "it was much more than that…"

"I know, dear," Alicia replied. "I've made you suffer. Please…can you find it in yourself to forgive me?"

Kagura thought that the boy would do it. Amata was just too kind an individual not to; too considerate of others' feelings to not offer a small token of his trust. That was why, when Amata gritted his teeth and ran out of the room without a word to anyone else, Kagura was more surprised than either Izumo or Alicia.

Amata flew out of the academy, literally, and landed on the roof of the tallest tower on campus. He sat on the edge of the roof, staring out over the ocean. He had ignored everything Kagura tried to tell him during his flight. Kagura figured that meant he wanted some time alone, so he let the other boy sit in silence.

"What would you have done in my place?" Amata asked softly after almost an hour of unbearable stillness. It was a dangerous sort of quietness, the type that hid a dagger meant for someone's back.

Kagura sensed something dark through their connection to one another. Coming from anyone other than Amata, he would have considered such emotions normal, especially considering the events that had just transpired. But from the passive, all-around nice young man that he shared a body with, it was alien…foreign…and frightening.

"I don't know," Kagura admitted. "I probably would have chewed them both out for making such stupid decisions that got them nowhere. In a way, mother deserved what happened in the end; and dad as well. We just had the misfortune of being in the crossfire."

Amata thought quietly for a moment, taking in Kagura's words. "I _wanted_ to forgive her…" he finally said. "Back in the room. But then there was the rage, the old pain, loneliness, and fear. Is…is this what it's like to hate someone, Kagura?"

"Why do you ask me like I would know?"

"Because you're more familiar with those sorts of feelings than I am. I thought I caught a glimpse of it directed towards Mykage in your memories, but it was nowhere near as—vivid as I feel it now," Amata cried out. "It feels wrong, but at the same time, it feels right, so—natural."

The two of them stared quietly over the water for a long time. The sun was starting to set, casting long shadows and an orange-red glow across the school grounds. Over by the forest, the two could just barely make out the figures of their friends, working off their punishment.

"Still feeling upset?" Kagura asked. He was surprised that he genuinely cared about what the other boy was feeling; a week ago he would have just laughed and told the weakling to "toughen up."

Amata nodded.

"You know—I don't think it's wrong to feel the way you are. Those feelings of resentment, that…darkness. It's as much a part of you as anything else," Kagura replied seriously. "Learn to accept it as part of you, as I had to learn to accept others. Don't let it overwhelm you, but it stems from you as much as the kindness you have shown others."

Kagura hesitated, finding the words he wanted to say. His instincts told him that this was a turning point for the other boy, something that, once it occurred, could never be taken back or undone.

"What I mean is, you have a right to be selfish sometimes. You're always there for others but you hardly ever give a passing thought to yourself. Just like I thought that I had to shoulder everything by myself to be strong, you seem to think that you need to shoulder all your burdens to avoid hurting others. You say _I_ need to trust others more? We're more similar in that regard than you think, Amata."

Amata chuckled, "Accept the darkness in my own heart, huh? That sounds like something a villain would suggest."

"That's me, darkness incarnate," Kagura replied.

"You know what? I thought you were a selfish ass the first time we met. You still try to act like that sometimes, but you're much more considerate than you let on," Amata said. And, after a pause, "Thank you."

At those words, a searing pain seemed to split Kagura's head in two. Put off balance momentarily, Amata and Kagura fell off the top of the tower. As the ground rushed to meet them, Kagura invoked "Reverse" just in time to slow the fall to something more survivable. The impact was still enough to knock him out.

* * *

Back in the command center, Fudo Zen was watching what was happening at the tower on the large monitor. He had his usual mysterious smile on his face; if anything, it seemed wider than usual at the moment.

"Just what are you planning, Fudo?" Crea asked, a little taken aback by the man's seeming callousness. She hadn't known that the presence of Alicia Sora had been kept secret from Amata until today; it seemed like a needlessly cruel secret.

"Tell me, are you familiar with the concept of Yin and Yang?" the Supreme Commander asked.

"Isn't it based on the idea of the separation of good and evil into equal but opposite halves?"

Fudo Zen gave her an almost pitying smile, "Not quite."

Crea waited for him to continue but, aggravatingly enough, he didn't elaborate. Knowing the man, he was probably waiting for her to ask what she had gotten wrong in her answer. She didn't want to indulge him any further, but in the end, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Then, what is it?"

"The original concept of Yin and Yang _is_ based on balance. You were right in that respect. Not of good and evil, but of light and darkness, chaos and order, heaven and earth," Fudo explained. A disc with the Yin-Yang symbol appeared between his fingers almost magically. "An apt description of the soul, don't you think?"

Crea thought about that for a moment, "Are you referring what happened to the soul of Celiane? Split into light and dark?"

"And what has happened to the boy as well," Fudo answered. "But when you split apart Yin and Yang…" The disc split in two along the sinuous line dividing black and white. "What do you see?"

"Two fang shapes…each containing a dot of the opposite color within," Crea replied, still not getting what Fudo was hinting at.

"Correct," the Supreme Commander replied. "Under normal circumstances, a body can only house one soul. The boys, being of the same origin, are one exception to the rule. As long as they are half of the same soul, there is no issue with both occupying one body. Now then…what does the 'dot,' as you call it, symbolize?"

Crea had heard this in a philosophy class ages ago. Dredging up old memories, she answered, "That within Yin lies the seed of Yang, and the reverse as well."

The Supreme Commander smiled and clapped his hands together. When he separated them again, the two halves of the disc were once again one, floating between his upward held palms.

"Yin begets Yang. Yang begets Yin. When the dark accepts the light within, it ceases to be Yin and completes itself."

The dark half of the disc pushed itself off, growing a "Yang" half all to its own. It moved over to Fudo's right hand.

"And…when light accepts the darkness within, it completes itself as well."

The light half of the original Yin-Yang regenerated a dark half. There were now two discs spinning slowly about the palms of Fudo Zen's hands.

"Two new souls," Fudo finished. "Of the same origin, but no longer the same. There is no such thing as 'half a soul,' only a soul that has not accepted the light or darkness within itself."

Everything clicked into place for Crea. Tolerating Kagura's enrollment at Neo-DEAVA, the subtle promptings, the training exercise, antagonizing Amata…it was all planned to lead up to this moment.

"What happens when two souls occupy the same body?" she asked, fearful of the answer.

"Usually, one will dominate the other. But, under the right circumstances, something more miraculous occurs," the man replied. "And you are about to witness this act."

On the screen, the boy's prone form on the grassy grounds of the school began to shimmer. The outline of his body blurred, became solid, then blurred even more. Crea rubbed her eyes, thinking it was a trick of the light. That act cost her the opportunity to see exactly what occurred, for during that brief moment in time, one had suddenly become two. Kagura and Amata lay side by side, back to their original forms.

"Genesis. The beginning. Something from nothing…the greatest miracle of all," Fudo said, smiling widely.

* * *

Deep beneath the earth of Vega, below the subways and the tunnels dug by man. Below the deepest mine shafts and the point where even bacteria could survive, something stirred. A single red eye blinked on, matching the red glow of the molten core around it. The magma heaved around it gently like a cradle; whether it was to awaken it gently or to lull it back to sleep, no one was around to give an answer.

From the seat in his palatial room, Mykage smiled. Izumo's interference had caused him an unexpected delay, but the main plan was proceeding as expected. The girl who had called herself "Suzushiro Mikono" hung from the ceiling, suspended by chains. Not that she required them, trapped as she was within the confines of her own mind. Mykage would free her when the opportune time came. He would free her, and claim the Wings of the Sun for his own…

Wait for me, Apollonius. I am coming for you. And this time, you cannot hide from me or deceive me any further.

* * *

*notes- This chapter took me a while longer to write than usual despite how brief it was. Mostly it was checking and rechecking to make sure that the characters were acting consistently with how I envisioned them, but some of it was because I've been distracted by life in general over the weekend. Also, trying to make Amata/Kagura's character developments over the last few chapters more fluid rather than sounding like it came out of nowhere was a bit of a task, and one I'm not certain I wholly succeeded in doing. And yes, Kagura has started to grow out of thinking of Mikono as only Silvia; not completely yet, but slowly.

I realize that the past few chapters were very centered on Amata and Kagura, but I feel like it was needed in order to drive the story. The conflict between those two is pretty much resolved at this point, which means that I can start working on developing the supporting characters some more. Izumo and Alicia (who had all of 2 minutes of screentime where she was conscious) are obvious examples. How they interact with their son(s) now that the two are, well, two again, is something I plan to do later. But, I feel like there's been too much focus on Amata and Kagura lately, so I think the next arc will be a lighter, less serious one that gives attention to the other Elements. Tentative name for the next chapter:

**Chapter 14: Heaven or Hell**


	14. Chapter 14: Heaven or Hell

**Chapter 14: Heaven or Hell**

Amata returned to class the next day, halfway through the morning lesson. After Kagura's re-introduction which, while not wholly friendly, was polite enough, they took their seats. Several of the female students began chatting amongst themselves about Kagura; aside from the Aquarion pilots, most of the students had never seen the young man before. If Kagura heard the whispered conversations amongst the girls about who the "hottest guy in class was," he gave no indication of it, instead reclining his seat and kicking his feet up on the desk as he usually did when the two had shared a body.

"It's a little sudden," Suomi-sensei continued as she looked down at her notes with a look of distaste, "but the Supreme Commander has decided that…as a team-building activity, we will be taking a one day and two night trip."

Cheers rose up from the most of the students. The only ones who didn't were the ones who had participated in Fudo Zen's survival training the day before. _They_ groaned, but whether it was from the thought of yet another training regime or because their muscles ached too much from the Headmistress's punishment, it was hard to tell.

"Where're we going?" one particularly excited student asked.

"Let's see here," Suomi-sensei adjusted her glasses. "It appears that we will be heading for…Resort Atlandia."

Gasps and whoops rose from the students, this time including the Aquarion pilots. The resort, named after the mythical land of angels found in all the legends about Aquarion, lived up to its name as a "Paradise on Earth." Built on top of a natural hot springs site, it was an epitome of luxury and had a price tag to match. Neo-DEAVA almost certainly was pulling a lot of strings to get rooms for its students. In addition to the onsen, the resort was only a half-hour's walk from the beach; mile upon mile of nearly untouched sands and crystal-clear water.

"Calm down," Suomi-sensei chided and for good reason; half the students were already out of their seats. "We will be leaving before dark; I want everyone to pack their bags in an orderly manner and have them brought down to the entry hall before 3."

Amata was almost as excited as everyone else in the room. Kagura, however, chose that moment to break the mood by muttering, "That old man planned this trip? He's up to something…"

"Up to something or not," Andy gleefully exclaimed, "It's not every day we get a day off, two nights at a hot springs resort, and the ocean to boot! So many possibilities, so many opportunities…" Then looking at MIX appraisingly, "and not to mention the bikinis and big bangs."

"Andy, you better not be thinking about anything improper," MIX warned. "You know how badly I kicked your butt yesterday and I'm not afraid to do it again if I catch you doing anything."

Andy bowed his head apologetically, "Yes, yes, I know. I won't—." Then, with a roguish grin and under his breath so that only the boys could hear, "Let you catch me, that is."

The boys headed back to their dorm to pack. Since their room could only house three people, Kagura now occupied the room across the hallway, sharing it with a pair of soldiers from Altair. Amata looked through his belongings, packing the necessities such as soap and toothpaste. It wasn't until Andy stuffed a pair of swim trunks into his own suitcase that Amata realized that he didn't own a pair.

"What? You've lived at the academy for this long and haven't even bought a pair of trunks to go to the beach?" Andy exclaimed dubiously. "The ocean's, like, five minutes away. What a waste."

"Actually," Jin interrupted. "I don't have any either."

Andy glanced at the time, "11:25. Well, we have more than enough time to head out into town and buy whatever you two need. You're all done packing besides that, right?"

-o-

It didn't take long to reach Neo-Kowloon by bus; the academy spared no expense in making it convenient for students to go on outings. As usual, the shopping district was crowded this time of day; it was difficult to navigate the streets without bumping into at least half a dozen other shoppers. To his surprise, Amata caught sight of Zessica, MIX, and Yunoha at the end of the street. He let the others know.

"Ohoh?" Andy remarked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If I'm not mistaken, those three can only be here for the same reason as us."

"What makes you think that?" Jin asked, curious.

Andy placed an arm over the other boy's shoulder, "You're smart, my hole-digging bro, but when it comes to girls, you're way behind yours truly. Just think about it. We were told today that we were going to a resort with a nearby beach. _What else_ would our female friends be in town to purchase besides swimsuits?"

"Towels, snacks for the trip, toiletry, a new outfit, school supplies they might be running low on," Amata said, counting off the fingers on his hand.

"Oh c'mon, not you too, Amata?" Andy said exasperatedly. "You're so naïve. Tell you what, let's follow them. Then you'll see that I'm right."

"I don't know, Andy-san. That sounds like a bad idea," Jin replied hesitantly.

"Jin, Jin, Jin. Don't give me that nonsense," Andy said with a grin as he started off after the girls. "I bet you're dying to see what kind of swimsuit Yunoha-chan picks out."

Jin turned beet-red and looked at the ground, hiding his face with his bangs. "Er…um…" he articulated, at a loss for words.

"And Amata, my brother," Andy said, knowing the battle was half won. "Aren't you the least bit curious as to what Zessica-san will be trying on? A bikini would suit her figure nicely. Or maybe she'll surprise you and go with a conservative one-piece?"

Andy's words placed those exact images into Amata's head along with a few others that he didn't mention. Needless to say, Amata lost control of his powers momentarily and needed to cling desperately to a fire-escape in order to avoid floating off into the clouds. Several curious bystanders pointed and gaped at the spectacle. By the time he managed to get back down, the girls had already disappeared into a store.

"Damn," Andy said, "we lost them."

"Actually," Amata said, "They went into that shop right over there."

Amata pointed at the clothing store that he had seen the three girls enter when he had been clinging for dear life to the fire escape. It was one of those popular chain stores that stocked everything from formalwear to pajamas.

"Perfect," Andy said with a grin. "Even if they catch us, we have a perfectly legitimate excuse for being in there."

The interior of the store was a storm of vivid colors. Clothing of every size, shape, and color, made from a myriad of materials, filled every rack. Unfortunately for Andy's ambitions, the store was divided into separate sections for men's and women's clothing with swimwear at very back corners of the shop. MIX was the first to spot the group of boys, having stopped by the entrance to look at a clearance rack.

"Andy!" she exclaimed in surprise, "W-why are you here?" She pointed a finger accusingly at the boy.

At the sound of her voice, Zessica and Yunoha came over. Zessica's face broke into a mischievous smile when she saw Amata.

"Perfect timing Amata," she said cheerfully. "Help me pick out a swimsuit."

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed him by the arm and pressed in close. For the second time in less than ten minutes, Amata found himself struggling to stay on the ground, flailing his free arm and legs about. Laughing softly and chiding him on needing to learn to control himself, Zessica dragged him towards the women's swimwear section.

"Hey Amata, you traitor, how dare you get to enter paradise alone so easily?" Andy shouted after him. Then, turning to where Jin had been standing, "Well, at least we two bros will always stick together, right Jin?"

Jin wasn't there anymore. A half-transparent and faintly blushing Yunoha was leading him by the hand, determinedly walking after Amata and Zessica.

"Et tu, Jin?"

"And no," MIX said, before Andy could ask. "I am _not_ going to ask you for your opinion on my choice of swimwear."

As Andy faded out of sight behind a rack full of jogging pants, Amata could hear his friend's pitiful pleas.

* * *

The students arrived at the resort at about a quarter after 9. By the time they got settled down into their rooms, boys in the west wing, girls in the east, it was well on its way to 10. Still, the students were filled with the exuberance of youth and a whole lot of excess energy from all the snacks they had brought for the train ride. It would be quite some time until lights out. Everyone decided to try out the hot-springs; after all, they were part of Resort Atlandia's fame.

As might be expected, there were separate areas for men and women at the hot springs. Andy had expected a wooden divider between the two sections but instead, he was disappointed to find that the resort had gone a step further and built a solid metal barrier between the two, disguised by a very natural looking strip of plant growth.

"This is an affront to all of man!" he declared, even as he plotted. "How dare they erect such a barrier here? Have they no respect for the traditions of male/female interaction on school trips? This heresy cannot stand. This barrier is no physical wall, but a wall of the heart!"

Amata shook his head at the antics of his friend as he slipped into the water. It was at the very edge, temperature-wise, of what people normally were able to tolerate and remarkably soothing. Kagura tested the waters before leaping in with a splash. Putting it mildly, it was an amazing experience for him; he had never really had the time or opportunity to enjoy life's pleasures before. The red-haired boy sighed just before he immersed his head underwater as well, clearly enjoying the onsen.

Meanwhile, Andy was soliciting the aid of anyone who was willing to help. Although most of the boys had been skeptical at first, Andy's passionate and mildly rousing speech eventually won the support of a good number of them.

"Give it up Andy," Amata said as he soaked, "You know that MIX is going to kill you if you try to tunnel to the girls side. Not to mention Instructor Dantes is probably watching your every move from somewhere."

"I'm disappointed in you, Amata," he replied, pointing a finger at the other young man. "Where is your passion? Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you are not the least bit interested in seeing what's going on the other side?"

Amata closed his eyes, trying _very _hard not to picture what Andy was referring to. "Of course I'm interested," he answered. "But I'm not going to break the trust the girls have in us and try to sneak a peek."

"Oh, come on," Andy exclaimed. "I'd bet anything that the girls are expecting us to try. It'd be an affront to them not to. Like saying, 'We're not interested in you or your big bangs.'"

* * *

As it turned out, the girls _were_ expecting the boys to try; just not in the way Andy might have expected. Before going into the onsen, at MIX's suggestion, they hael a meeting in the changing room, huddling together to discuss what they should do.

"Ok, I can almost guarantee that Andy will try something stupid," MIX said in a low whisper; though why she bothered considering the sheer distance between the women's and men's changing rooms no one knew. Perhaps it was just to keep the atmosphere of a secret meeting going.

She continued, "I'll be on alert regarding him. He won't get far if I collapse his tunnel right on top of him. I think we should expect him to have persuaded some of the other boys to help as well."

Yunoha hugged her doll to her chest and protested, "I don't think that Jin-kun will try. He's not like that at all."

Zessica looked thoughtful, "Well, there was that one time he ended up in the girl's locker room, but that was probably an accident. You're right, he's a bit too much on the shy side to even think about trying. Amata on the other hand…he might not even be in on an attempt to get to the women's side and accidentally fly over if something stimulates his imagination enough."

"You don't need to worry about that," a newcomer announced. "Donar told me that he'd be on the lookout from his room, which overlooks the boy's bath, for any misconduct. I took a look at his luggage on the way in and frankly, I'm surprised the hotel staff allowed _that_ much weaponry on the premises no matter how much we're paying them."

Everyone looked at the newcomer, startled by the sudden interruption. No one had heard Suomi-sensei come in, but she was standing right at the edge of the circle of girls wearing nothing but her glasses and a towel wrapped around her torso; her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The girls took one moment to gape at how quickly their teacher had changed from "strict instructor in a nun's habit-mode" into a beautiful, mature woman on vacation. Sure, her usual attire hid her figure quite well, but now that the students had a better look…they realized just how much of a difference a few years made.

"Anyway," MIX said, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "I think the real problem is Kagura-kun. He's a wild card and I'm _fairly_ certain he won't be a part of it, but his 'Reversal' ability is going to be a pain to handle if he joins up with Andy."

"He's not going to be a problem," Zessica replied. "From what Amata told me, he only has eyes for one girl and she's not with us, meaning that he has absolutely no motive for even trying." She avoided using Mikono's name since it would put a damper on everyone's spirits if her absence was brought to the fore.

"Oh come off it, MIX," Sazanka said impatiently, "let's just go for a dip and worry about what to do if it happens. I'm betting the boys are already enjoying the onsen."

With a dreamy expression on her face she mumbled, "Cayenne-sama and Shrade-sama sharing the same bath…mmmm"

The girls left her to her fantasies, but took her suggestion to get started.

"Ah," MIX sighed as she slipped into the water. "That really soothes my aching muscles. Crea's punishment was terrible…having to dig all that dirt up…ugh!"

Zessica went in up to her neck, feeling the warm as it seeped into her joints and relieved the stiffness that hours of shoveling had caused. The other girls looked a bit perplexed by just how much the Aquarion pilots were enjoying the onsen, but figured that they deserved it for all their hard work.

There was a quiet "fwip" sound coming from the other side of the divider, followed by a much louder thud as something heavy hit the ground. Startled, several of the girls looked in the direction of the noise but, of course, didn't see anything.

"Not to worry girls," Suomi-sensei said, eyes closed as she leaned back in the water. "That's probably Donar keeping his word." She opened her eyes as loud splashing announced that several girls had rushed to her side.

"What is it?" she asked a little hesitantly due to the spark in their eyes.

Surprisingly, it was MIX who asked the question first. "I didn't notice back inside the locker room, but since when were you close enough with Instructor Dantes to call him by first name and no honorifics? Spill it, sensei!"

The other girls pressed in close, all clearly interested in what their teacher had to say. Here in the baths, everyone was equal. There were no ranks, no student-teacher dichotomy, and no need for decorum. It was the perfect opportunity for a bunch of young women to gain insight from a more mature and (hopefully) more experienced woman regarding love matters.

Suomi-sensei tried looking for an escape route, but eager young faces hemmed her in from all sides, cutting off all possibility of a getaway. Realizing she was trapped, the young teacher sighed and answered with the truth.

"I'm not really sure when or how," she admitted. "It seems like it's always been this way, to be honest."

There were a few squeals of delight and a barrage of more questions. The teacher found herself regretting her first slip in use of formal speech more and more.

* * *

"Who did he get?" Andy called back to the three remaining boys who had joined his quest for glory.

"I think it was Direzza-san," one of them answered.

"Damn. Malloy-san, huh?" Andy said as they huddled down in a hole he had dug. "He was a good man. He will be missed."

"He's not dead, actually," someone replied. "Just unconscious."

Andy ignored him, getting a little too absorbed in his role as the commander of his own little squad.

"As I said, a good man. His loss shall not be in vain!"

Andy tunneled forwards, towards the divider, knowing that nirvana lay on the other side. He was more and more sure of success with each clod of dirt hurled backwards; at least, until his hands hit a metal barrier. He tried to use his powers to smash a hole right through it, but something about the thing refused to give way. Concentrating a little harder, he recognized MIX's handiwork in reinforcing the structural integrity of the barrier.

"Playing hard to get only makes me more determined!" he exclaimed. "If I can't go straight ahead, I will go under!"

Andy tunneled further down, only to hit solid bedrock. Normally he would have been able to remove it as easily as loose soil, but again, MIX's handiwork stopped him in his tracks. _Damn, that young woman was prepared_, he thought appreciatively.

"Bad news boys," Andy said. "MIX's interference means that we can't tunnel there from the men's side of the onsen. But, I think we should be alright if we go around and tunnel in from the other side. Who's with me?"

"I'm not so sure about this anymore," one boy admitted, "I want out. This turned out to be a complete waste of time and if MIX knows we're coming, then so do the other girls. I'd rather not get caught and get mauled by the girls. I have too much to live for. No hard feelings, right?"

Andy sighed as the deserter left their ranks. The road to paradise was hard and few would ever see the destination. From the mouth of the tunnel, they heard another "fwit" and a soft thud as Instructor Dantes' tranquilizer dart found another target. Andy paused his digging for a moment as a tribute to the fallen, deserter though he was.

The going was tough and unexpected obstacles in the form of running into more of the underground divider slowed their progress. In the end, the other two boys gave up and left Andy to his own devices. However, _he_ would not give in; this trial was what separated the men from the boys, the determined from the rest, the strong from the weak. Andy W. Hol would succeed or die trying, his tale an inspiration to males everywhere for generations to come.

It took the better part of half an hour, but finally, the young man managed to go all the way around and tunnel up into a hidden recess on the women's side of the onsen. He surfaced, expecting to see heaven for the first time, but was struck down with disappointment a moment later.

The entire bath was empty. Not a living creature stirred. No movement save for the steam swirling about in a faint breeze.

Where had he gone wrong? Andy was certain he had heard voices from the other side as he was tunneling. There _should_ have been people there.

He took a few steps forwards, disbelieving his terrible luck. The steam swirled around him, wrapping him in its comforting warmth as if to comfort him. It swirled about, dancing around playfully.

The boy heard a soft footfall coming from behind him and turned around a moment too late. The last thing he saw before stars heralded his entry into the realm of unconscious dreams of playful young women enjoying themselves at an onsen was a wooden wash bucket flying at his face.

-o-

"—old you he was going to try something stupid," someone was saying as Andy drifted back into the world of the living.

He gave a groan, trying to feel at the bump on his head. He found that his hands and feet were both bound.

"I think he's starting to come to," the voice continued. Andy finally regained enough sense to recognize it as MIX's. "Nice thinking, Yunoha, turning us all invisible like that."

Andy's vision returned, blurry at first, but slowly regaining clarity. It took a minute, but finally, the people standing before him resolved into the distinct figures of his female classmates…and one very annoyed looking teacher. They had all covered themselves with towels, but he could still appreciate how those clung to their forms. Their bare legs were a nice bonus. He tried not to stare too much, except at MIX. She drew his eyes like honey draws flies.

"Well now, Andy," MIX said, hands planted on her hips. "What are we going to do with you?"

There were several suggestions that caused the boy to flinch in imagined pain. Whoever thought that men were more prone to malevolent thoughts clearly had never incited the wrath of _these_ women.

"I can think of one," Zessica said thoughtfully.

"What would that be Zessica-san?" MIX asked, still watching Andy warily.

"Well, you and Andy could go alone to one of the private rooms…"

"Uh-huh…and?"

With a grin on her face, Zessica finished, "And spend the whole night together like the married couple you two already act like, sheesh!"

MIX protested that they weren't like that while blushing furiously. "You deny it too, Andy," she cried at him. Her overreaction wasn't really convincing the girls too well of her feelings.

"I can't do that," he stated plainly. "I came all this way for you, MIX, and I'm sure as hell am not going to deny my feelings for you."

A low "oooh" passed through the crowd of female students. Most seemed to have forgotten their lynching mentality of a few moments ago in favor of admiring Andy's dedication towards MIX. Andy gave an inwards sigh of relief; he might just live to see another day.

"W-w-what about you, Zessica-san?" MIX exclaimed, turning to her friend and trying to change the topic. "You and Amata-kun are pretty close too, aren't you? Why don't you just go ahead and—"

Zessica gave it a thought. "You know, that's not such a bad idea," she said wryly. "Maybe I'll try that later."

"Ok, girls. Enough of this nonsense," Suomi-sensei declared. "The fact is that Andy-kun here has clearly violated the rules of the onsen and according to the resort rules, the affected party, which would be us, gets to decide on the penalty."

Just as Andy was about to be sentenced to his fate for a crime he didn't really regret committing (now that he had indeed seen paradise,) he was saved, literally, by an answer from the heavens. Amata Sora fell out of the sky after hurtling over the barrier, clearly not in control of his powers. Only Zessica's timely dash and catch prevented him from face-planting into the dirt. Still, the boy's momentum carried them both to the ground, Amata on top. From his seated position, Andy could see that the other boy's hands and face were placed in some very envy-inspiring spots.

"Gah! Zessica-san!" he exclaimed as he leapt backwards off her and averted his eyes. "I didn't mean to—I mean, Kagura—and—said something—"

_Worst excuse making ever_, Andy thought dryly as he watched his friend fumble around trying to get the words out.

It took quite some time for the other boy to calm down and, even then, he was unconsciously floating a few inches off the ground. According to what they were able to piece together from Amata's nervous stuttering, Kagura had actively encouraged him to "be a man and just go over to claim his woman." When that had failed, he had made Amata's powers go haywire, though how, the boy refused to tell, turning very red when pressed, and then proceeded to punt Amata, who was wearing nothing more than a towel over his waist, over the divider.

"Alright, that's it," Sumoi-sensei declared in exasperation. "You two boys will sit in the lobby until morning. Seiza position!"

The two boys groaned; aching knees would make the one full day of their break far less enjoyable. MIX gave Andy a smugly superior smirk. As if to deflate MIX's sense of superiority, Suomi-sensei continued, "MIX, Zessica, you two will be joining them."

"What?" the two girls protested at the same time. "But we didn't even do anything."

"They're _your_ responsibilities," Suomi-sensei said with a hint of amusement. She was enjoying her petty revenge on the ringleaders of her questioning session about her relationship with Donar Dantes. "Didn't you say earlier that you would stop him, MIX? And yet, here's Andy-kun. And Zessica, didn't you mention the risk of Amata-kun flying over, however involuntarily? You should have planned for that eventuality. Count that as a lesson learned, because preparing for the unexpected can save your life in the Aquarion."

* * *

Back in the Neo-DEAVA's command room, the Headmistress and the Supreme Commander sat at a table, a box of donuts laid out before them.

"Didn't you say 'Love was Forbidden,' Fudo?" Crea asked. "And yet here you are, seemingly encouraging activities that may lead to that which you have forbidden."

The Supreme Commander took a donut out of the box. Examining it thoughtfully, he replied, "The name 'Aquarion' was once forbidden, yet now we find ourselves relying on that name alone to guide us through battle. Love is still forbidden but, one day, that too might be the only power that can deliver us from unwanted destiny."

He took a bite out of the donut. "The players are ready, the game is set, the wheel of fate spins, and love may yet be the answer; as it was both one and two cycles ago."

On the big screen, the scene showed what was going on in the lobby of Resort Atlandia. MIX had fallen asleep, leaning on Andy's shoulder. Amata and Zessica were both asleep as well; their heads together, shoulders supporting one another as they slumbered peacefully.

* * *

*notes: Slight delays in getting this chapter out, mainly because the Steam summer sale was going on and I was playing a few of my purchases. Yes, not the best of excuses, but hey, I needed a break from typing every so often. The narrative in this chapter's a mix of perspective and omniscient narration, mainly because there was a bit too much going on for me to keep it in perspective narrative the whole way through. The next chapter will probably be like that as well.

Andy gets to be awesome in a somewhat un-awesome way in his perspective segment, but still has very little luck with the girls. Amata on the other hand, has a bit more luck than he would care to have. This was the obligatory onsen episode that pretty much any anime has one of. Next chapter as you probably guessed from the description of the resort, is the obligatory beach, aka fanservice, one. Hope you enjoyed reading a not-so-plot movingly dense chapter. Next chapter title preview:

**Chapter 15: It's All Fun and Games…**


	15. Chapter 15: It's All Fun and Games

**Chapter 15: It's All Fun and Games…**

Morning seemed to come earlier than it should have the next day. The boys were woken up well before sunrise by Donar Dantes to go on a morning sprint around the resort grounds. Since Amata and Andy were both in the lobby, that meant that Zessica and MIX were woken up along with them far earlier than they would have liked.

One of the male students in the back groaned. "Instructor Dantes, it's a vacation. Why do we need to get up early and do morning drills?"

The instructor glared at the group and replied, "A healthy body leads to a sound mind and sound spirit. Whoever complained, you obviously need more training than the rest of us, two extra laps for you."

The rest of the boys laughed a bit before realizing that their instructor was dead serious. They filtered outside in double file, shivering a little in the cold morning air. Zessica and MIX fell in behind Amata and Andy.

"You two don't need to come along," Andy said. "I'm pretty sure Instructor Dantes meant for this to be a boys' side thing."

MIX looked at him with a quizzical expression. "We're up already," she yawned. "Might as well join in rather than sit in the lobby doing nothing for several hours."

She would end up regretting those words. Donar Dantes did not just make them run around the resort, but had also brought in backpacks stuffed full of military supplies for them to wear as they were running. In addition, the morning "jog" ended up continuing well past sunrise; by the time the two girls and the entire boys group were done, Suomi-sensei and the rest of the girls were already halfway through breakfast. They watched passively as the tired group of students staggered in through the hotel doors, sweating profusely and completely out of breath.

Instructor Dantes made to sit at Suomi-sensei's table but was brutally interrupted.

"Shower first and then come back," she said, sipping from a cup of tea before shooting him a disapproving look. "You smell of dirty socks…_wet_ dirty socks."

Instructor Dantes didn't even bother arguing and did as she said.

Breakfast was good, far better than the food at Neo-DEAVA academy. Zessica took a bite out of a croissant and gasped at how it melted in her mouth. Amata had a plate with a bit of everything and seemed to be having trouble trying to decide on what to eat first. MIX was enjoying her coffee, the aroma almost as strong as the taste itself. She glanced at Andy, who was scarfing down sausages without bothering to pick up a utensil.

"Someone seriously needs to teach you table manners, Andy," she noted as a fragment of food flew through the air.

"I can't help it," he protested between mouthfuls. "That morning run burned a ton of energy and I'm starving! Plus, these sausages are just too damn good."

"Well, don't stuff yourself too much," she replied. "It's not a good idea to eat too much before going swimming."

-o-

After a short break, the students all grabbed their duffel bags containing what they needed for the beach and set off as a group. The morning sun reflected off the ocean waves as they approached, creating what appeared to be a sparking carpet that stretched to the horizon.

"Umi-da!" someone in the back shouted. No one made any jokes about the childish excitement in the person's voice. They were all equally thrilled to be there.

There were changing rooms roughly the size of a small house at both sides of the road right before where the sand started. Boys went into the one on the left, girls into the one on the right. Inside the boy's changing room, the students chattered excitedly about what the girls might be wearing. No one participated in that conversation with more passion than Andy.

The boys ended up finishing changing first and were waiting in eagerness for the girls to finish and arrive. They were not disappointed in the least.

Amata had trouble controlling his flight impulse at the sight of Zessica. Although he had seen her trying on that swimsuit at the store, the sight of her in a black one-piece with large, strategically cut out oval patches at the stomach (extending daringly high and low) and the back was breath-taking. She was clearly pleased with his reaction to her appearance and favored him with a grin. The boy turned almost as red as his swimming trunks.

Jin's reaction to seeing Yunoha's attire was one of surprise and speechlessness. Surprise because the one she had decided on back at the store was not the one she was wearing now. Speechlessness because the small girl was, borrowing a term from the manga Jin had borrowed from Andy, a mass of sheer, concentrated moe. Her swimsuit matched her hair color, a purple-pink at the top fading into a yellow by the time it reached the little skirt that flared out from the waist. The effect was increased 75% (plus or minus 5% by Jin's reckoning) by how she fidgeted around in faint embarrassment.

"That—um, suits you," he murmured as he toyed with a lock of his hair in front of his eyes, hiding behind his bangs as he usually did when flustered. Yunoha looked delighted, but also turned partly translucent at the compliment.

Andy, upon seeing MIX, reacted exactly as one might have expected; dropping to his knees and thanking the powers that be that he was alive to see this day. MIX sniffed at his performance, although she was actually quite pleased that he liked the outfit. She had spent quite some time picking out the light-blue bikini; looking for one that would go well with her eye color. To preserve some semblance of modesty, she had tied a blue porcelain patterned cloth about her waist, letting it cover her right leg down just past the knees.

But the winner of the informal appeal contest, based on the reactions of the majority of boys, had to be Suomi-sensei. It may have been because the male students had only ever seen her in her nun's habit, or it may have been because she represented the maturation of the promise that the female students showed, but by general consensus, the young teacher was queen of the beach. Wearing a predominantly white one-piece swimsuit with blue stripes that drew attention to her legs and bust, she had an air of nervousness that they had never seen in the woman before.

"Oy, instructor," Andy said with a grin, jabbing Instructor Dantes in the ribs. "Just where are you staring at?"

That comment earned Andy a headlock from an embarrassed Donar Dantes, who had indeed been stunned by his counterpart's transformation. Clearing his throat loudly, he reminded the students to behave properly while at the beach or they would suffer his wrath. Without pausing, he took Suomi-sensei's bag from her and carried it off towards the shore, a stampede of energetic students running past him moments later.

-o-

During lunch, Andy stood up on the table at the front and declared with his usual pomp and flair:

"Ladies and gentleman, are you all having fun?"

Cheers and whoops answered his question. Even the more conservative students clapped enthusiastically. Nodding his head at them with a knowing expression on his face, he continued, "When you're at the beach, there are several things that you must do. Things like splashing your friends, tossing them into the water, digging sand pits, and building a sand castle. But there is one thing above all else that _must_ occur."

After a sufficiently dramatic pause, Andy finished what he had wanted to say. "Beach volleyball," he exclaimed. "A noble sport and display of physical prowess. I propose that we hold a tournament here on the beach, teams consisting of a male and female pair, and compete for the title of the strongest duo."

Excited chatter filled the air. People instantly scrambled about looking for a partner. Needless to say, all the "couples" decided to pair up with one another. Andy was hoping to find a chance to ask MIX, she certainly was looking at him like she was expecting it.

"One question," a female student in the back asked, "are we allowed to use Element abilities in the match?"

Andy took one look at the teachers, both of whom were vehemently shaking their heads "no." _Fair enough_, he still remembered the results of the training exercise the Supreme Commander had put them through.

"No, in the interests of balancing the teams, Element powers won't be allowed. After all, there are abilities that would be completely unfair in a match, such as Kagura-kun's 'Reversal' or Jin's "Isolation," whereas some abilities wouldn't be useful at all."

One hour later, after they all had sufficient time to rest after the meal, the students gathered on the beach. There were only 16 teams in total; most of the students had chosen to spectate instead. Somehow, Andy had convinced the two teachers to be the referees, although Instructor Dantes was probably a bit too distracted by Suomi-sensei's figure to actually be of much use.

Sazanka and Malloy were the first of the Aquarion pilots to be taken out of the tournament, losing in the first round due to a complete lack of communication. They looked like they had fun though, so it all balanced out in the end.

Jin and Yunoha did alright in the first round, but were knocked out in the second; the small girl's height ended up being too much of a disadvantage on the court. Still, the crowd clapped for them as they left the field and joined the rest of the spectators. They made a good team, knowing where the other was at all times and supporting one another; the problem was that volleyball just wasn't the right sport for them physically.

Andy and MIX made it all the way to the semi-finals. They supported one another well and had a good combination of defense and offense. Despite their bickering on the court, each seemed to know exactly what the other expected and moved to cover any gaps on their side of the playing field. They had the misfortune of running into Kagura's team in the semi-finals. Kagura's overly aggressive playstyle tore their defense apart mercilessly and the two pilots found themselves unable to counterattack at all. Even more galling was the fact that his partner didn't even have to take the field, instead choosing to work on her tan in the back of the court.

Donar Dantes announced the final matchup.

"Let's see here…we have a highly unexpected match coming up. What appears to be the crowd favorite—with an offense is so absurdly strong that they have no need for defense…or a second player that actually does anything: Kagura and…Okay? Who's the joker that put 'Paperbag-chan' as her own name on the entry sheet?" He glared at the roster for a moment. "Whatever…moving on. And a surprise team that somehow made it to the finals through great teamwork and an impressive count on diving saves: Amata and Zessica."

As they took positions on the field, Kagura grinned at his opponents.

"Don't make this too easy," he said. "But either way, I'm going to demolish you."

"Um, Kagura. Aren't you taking this a little too seri—" Amata managed to get out before he was interrupted by Kagura starting.

Kagura served the ball at a ridiculous speed, interrupting his opponent mid-sentence. Amata barely managed to deflect the ball upwards before it hit the sand. His hands smarted from the impact, but he managed to get the shot high enough for Zessica to return the ball with a spike of her own, aimed at Kagura's teammate; a girl who, as her entry name implied, wore a paper bag over her head with eyeholes poked out. Kagura's choice of a teammate backfired here as her lack of peripheral vision allowed Zessica's return to score. Kagura glared at the green-haired girl…the game was on.

* * *

Amata was nearing exhaustion. Sweat dripped down his forehead and his legs felt like lead. They had been going back and forth for almost half an hour now, unable to score a decisive two-point lead over Kagura's team. The score was currently 33-33. Although Kagura was still acting as confident as always, his movements were becoming slower as well, betraying his tiredness.

The crowd watched in silence. They had expected a quick and decisive match, but the current game was dragging out longer than expected. It was no less amazing though, neither team was giving an inch. Between Kagura's explosive power shots and Amata's unyielding defense coupled with Zessica's fierce returns, it could still be anybody's match.

Donar Dantes stood by on the sidelines with a very bored looking expression on his face. He yawned and stretched before looking at his watch.

"Alright, that's enough," he said. "In the interest of saving time, we will allow the use of Element abilities from now onwards."

Suomi-sensei opened her mouth to protest, clearly concerned. Amata didn't blame his teacher; bad things tended to happen whenever they used their powers on trivial matters. However, to Amata's disappointment, she allowed Instructor Dantes' rule change to go uncontested; likely she was getting tired of refereeing as well.

Amata had been prepared for it, but it was very difficult to do anything when your own serve reversed its movement the moment it left contact with your hand. Kagura's team scored and gained possession of the ball.

"So that's how you want to play, Kagura?" he said, a bit annoyed at the difference in their Element abilities.

"Fair's fair," the other boy replied. "And now to win the match!"

Time seemed to slow as Kagura's serve flew towards him. It might have been partly due to Kagura not being able to put as much power into his serves anymore, but Amata felt something else as well. It was as if his entire being was telling him not to lose here. As his hand connected with Kagura's serve, he felt a rush of his own power traveling down his arm and into the ball. _Was it possible?_ _He had never used his ability on anything but himself before. _Amata channeled his "Anti-gravity" ability into the ball, sending it shooting skywards until it was little more than a speck in the sky.

"Zessica-san!" he yelled, running for her.

The green-haired girl stopped looking at where the ball had disappeared to and turned towards him. She was clearly startled when he picked her up and flew upwards towards the volleyball.

"Wh-What are you doing Amata?" she screamed as the wind rushed past them. At least she had the sense not to kick or struggle; that would have made it difficult to ascend.

"Use your power to spike the ball towards Kagura," Amata replied over the rushing air. "We'll finish this in one shot!"

Normally, Amata wouldn't have cared about the outcome of a friendly game of volleyball. But when Kagura got involved, he just felt like he _had_ to one-up the other young man. It was too intense a feeling to be called friendly rivalry, but much milder than the antagonistic relationship they had prior to when Mikono had merged them. When they reached where the ball was hanging suspended in the air, Amata tossed Zessica up.

"Amata, you IIIDDDIIOOOOTT!" Zessica screamed as she twisted through the air. With acrobatic grace, she twisted about in the air and spiked the ball hard, almost straight downwards. The ball began to rotate rapidly as it descended, gaining speed far beyond what its terminal velocity should have been. Amata caught Zessica a moment later and the two flew downwards in pursuit of the ball.

On the ground, Kagura was looking skywards in anticipation of this showdown. The moment he saw the ball descending to earth, he raised his right arm up at it and invoked, "Reverse!"

The ball started slowing down, but kept on moving. Kagura started gritting his teeth as he focused more and more on the small sphere. In Amata's arms, Zessica mirrored Kagura's pose as she concentrated on pushing the ball downwards with her power. The ball stopped moving about three feet away from Kagura's outstretched arm, its rotation speeding up with every passing moment. Eventually, the spin became powerful enough to whip up what looked like a miniature tornado from the sand. The volleyball remained suspended in the air, caught between the powers of two Element users.

The struggle eventually became too great for the poor volleyball to endure. Between all the forces acting on it, its shape warped about as if it were made of putty. Moments later, the entire volleyball exploded, showering the court with little one-inch strips of what had once been a perfectly good ball.

After everyone's ears had recovered sufficiently from the loud bang that had accompanied the volleyball's demise, Instructor Dantes cleared his throat and said, "Well, I guess that's the end of the tournament. Congratulations to the four co-winners."

Suomi-sensei shot him a look that clearly said, "I _told_ you that letting them use their powers was a bad idea."

On the ground, Amata had other issues to deal with. Zessica was, understandably, quite upset with what he had done. She refused to face him, forcing him to plead to her back, something which wasn't very effective.

"Zessica," he said, "that was a stupid and thoughtless move on my part. I got too caught up in the competition and I didn't think about what you, as my partner, felt about it."

He paused for a moment. Zessica didn't reply at all, but he thought her shoulders had relaxed just a little bit. Amata continued, "I'm really sorry I did that. Yes, I'm an idiot and all those other names you're probably thinking right now, but I'll make it up to you somehow."

She turned around slowly.

"Really?"

"I swear," Amata replied honestly.

She gave him a hug, the likes of which caused the two of them to start floating through the air. When they finally settled back down on the ground, Zessica on top of Amata as he lay on the sand, she smiled and said, "There's a festival in the nearby town tonight, go with me and we'll call it even."

Something about how quickly Zessica had accepted his apology and came up with that particular suggestion seemed contrived to Amata, but at this point, he was happy that she wasn't going to be giving him the cold shoulder.

* * *

Zessica and the girls stopped by a yukata rental store along the way to the festival. They had told the boys to go on ahead without them since choosing out something would take a good amount of time.

"I don't see why these things all have to cover so much skin," Zessica complained as she tried on one with a pattern she liked.

MIX sighed and answered, "It's a _traditional_ garment, Zessica. You can't go about cutting out the stomach and back or shortening the hems on _everything_ you wear."

Well, at least the thing was light enough to feel the wind on her skin, Zessica thought. The design she had chosen was fairly simple; a predominantly white yukata with a leaf motif in green. She turned to take a look at MIX's choice.

"You're going with that one?" she asked.

"I like it," MIX replied simply.

She had picked a dark blue garment with very little in terms of patterns; it was, on the whole, not an attention-grabbing outfit like her beach attire had been. Combined with her glasses, the set made her look mature beyond her years. Zessica told MIX what she thought of it.

"Well that's good," MIX noted, "between me and Andy, I suppose that balances us out somewhere near our actual age."

"I'm done as well," Yunoha said shyly.

The small girl was wearing a pink yukata with a yellow floral print. It suited her petite frame well and accentuated the aura of innocence she naturally exuded.

"Be careful Yunoha," Zessica joked, "You're so adorable in that thing that Jin-kun might not be able to help himself."

Yunoha blushed. "No, that's not—" She vanished into thin air in her embarrassment.

Once they had paid for their rental, the girls met up with Amata, Jin, Andy, and Kagura at the archway at the entrance to the festival. Amata and Andy had opted to wear their usual street clothes, but both Kagura and Jin, seeing as it was the first festival they had ever attended, chose to wear yukatas. Jin's was plain gray and completely unpatterned which contrasted sharply with Yunoha's when she ran up to him. Kagura's, rather fittingly, was mostly black with a flame pattern in white and red at the sleeves and the bottom hem.

"Hey Amata, what do you think?" Zessica asked as she twirled about once for him.

He didn't answer immediately, which worried Zessica a little.

"I guess it must look strange on me, right?" Zessica said, slightly disappointed. She adjusted her hairclip, an ornament designed to look like a red lotus flower.

"N-no!" he protested, "It looks great on you. I-I guess I'm just used to seeing you in your normal clothes so when you suddenly wear something like that…" He rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly, "It's different, but nice."

Zessica smiled and took him arm, pressing in close. As expected, he floated up off the ground a bit, although he seemed to be in better control of his reactions now; at the least, he wasn't flailing about. Half the reason why Zessica did that was to see him fly; it was always entertaining for her. The other half was because weightlessness made it very easy for her to drag him by the collar down towards the stalls so they could start having fun.

"Let's meet up in time for the fireworks!" Zessica shouted back towards the rest of her friends as she dragged a squirming Amata behind her.

"Z-Zessica," Amata said, sounding very strained.

"Yes?" she asked cheerfully as she walked. "Ooh, a taiyaki stall. I haven't had one of those in ages!"

"Could you please let go?" Amata requested meekly. "The way you're gripping my shirt is choking me."

Zessica gasped out an apology and did as he had asked. Thankfully, Amata didn't seemed too displeased with what had happened. He massaged his throat for a moment before saying, "You didn't have to drag me along you know, I'd have gladly followed."

The pair tried out food at half a dozen stalls, played goldfish scooping (Zessica managed to get one, whereas Amata had trouble keeping the thin paper net intact,) and bought a pair of matching masks from a vendor. It was a date in everything but name and Zessica couldn't have been happier.

At the shooting gallery, the two encountered Cayenne and Instructor Dantes who were busy competing on the number of prizes they could win. It was an impressive display of marksmanship as both shooters maintained a 100% accuracy rate. Instructor Dantes decided to up the ante by shooting while facing backwards to which Cayenne countered by blindfolding himself. Suomi-sensei stood nearby watching both with an exasperated expression on her face and an ever-growing pile of prizes sitting by her foot.

"Men!" she muttered under her breath, "they never do grow up do they?"

"Hey sensei!" Zessica greeted. "How's your date with Instructor Dantes going?"

Her teacher looked stunned at Zessica's question. She stuttered a little bit; something about "not being what it looks like" and a few other unconvincing excuses. Before the woman could regroup and counter, Zessica had already taken Amata's hand and run off to the next area.

They had some extra time before the fireworks, but Zessica was starting to feel a little sore from the volleyball tournament so the two of them found a nice and quiet spot with benches to sit down until the display began. She leaned her head down on Amata's shoulder.

"Hey Amata?"

"What is it?"

"Are you happy that you finally got to meet your parents?" Zessica asked. She had been watching him during the trip for any changes, but aside from splitting apart from Kagura, Amata didn't show any indication that anything significant had happened.

"What's with that question coming out of the blue?" he asked, puzzled.

"I don't know, honestly," Zessica replied. "It was just something I had on my mind. You don't need to answer me if you don't want to."

About a minute passed.

"I guess if I had to say how I felt, happiness would be first. It has been a lifetime since I've seen my mother," Amata answered slowly, as if he were thinking hard. "I used to blame myself for not being strong enough to follow her and I thought mother had abandoned me because she was disgusted with my Element power. Now that I'm older, I know that neither is really true. Part of me was strong enough to follow her, as Kagura. I guess that I was actually lucky that I didn't go through the portal as well, considering how _his_ life turned out."

Zessica frowned, "You thought that your mother was disgusted with your ability? How could you even think that? Everyone dreams of flying sometime in their lifetime but you're the only one that I know who can actually do it. Besides, those are the prettiest wings I've ever seen. There's no way anyone would be disgusted."

"I was a kid back then," Amata said defensively, "and besides, all the other children used to pick on me for it. Although thinking back, I'm not sure whether that began before or after mother left."

"Well, those kids were idiots then," Zessica replied. "Causing you grief like that just because you were unique."

Amata thanked her for her indignation on his behalf. "That's in the past now, no sense dwelling on negative thoughts," he said. "My parents are both at Neo-DEAVA now and that's good enough for me for the moment. Even if I'm conflicted about how to handle them, there's still time. I'll deal with that when the time comes."

Zessica smiled and shuffled a little closer to him, "But you're happy right now, right?"

Amata put his arm around her shoulder, but then hesitated, almost pulling back. Zessica took his arm and set it down across her shoulders encouragingly before snuggling up even closer.

"Right now? Happiness can't really begin to describe it."

As the first firework shot up and lit the night sky, the two sat on the bench and watched in silence. There was no need for words. It wasn't until the final barrage of pyrotechnics had gone into the air and faded away that Zessica realized that the two of them had forgotten to meet up with MIX and the others.

_They were probably all alone with the ones that they liked anyways and forgot as well_, thought Zessica to herself with a small smile.

* * *

*notes: Apparently it takes me way longer to write a semi-filler chapter than it does to do a plot-related one. Part of the delay in finishing this had to do with rewriting an entire segment in order to get a better narrative in. Not that I regret doing so, since the end result was better than what was originally written. This wraps up the vacation the pilots get to enjoy before things get serious again although I will probably have characters who did not get a perspective segment (such as Jin and Yunoha) refer back to events that had happened to them during the last two chapters. As for what I'm planning on doing, I'll likely do one or two chapters detailing events at Neo-DEAVA before a timeskip several months into the future when the action picks up again.

After experimenting with both omniscient and perspective narrative, I found I like writing from a character's perspective more despite the obvious limitations. That doesn't mean I won't use anymore of the former though. For those who haven't picked up on it yet, I've started using two separate types of narrative dividers: -o- denotes a change in time but not in narrative whereas a solid line indicates that the perspective itself is shifting to someone else (but a jump forwards in time may also be applicable.) Alright, the next chapter title will tentatively be:

**Chapter 16: The Songstress**


	16. Chapter 16: The Songstress

**Chapter 16: The Songstress**

Alicia Sora waited at the academy bus stop for the returning students. She had already been there for two hours, but a message had come in earlier that the train back had been delayed so she wasn't particularly worried. She was feeling a little nervous though, wondering what Amata and Kagura would do when they saw her; after all, to start acting motherly after a decade's absence…it felt awkward to her.

Izumo had offered to go in her place, but he was needed in the academy and the city to oversee the installation of the new defense system. There had been several complaints from property owners about installing heavy weapons on their rooftops, but a demonstration of how crudely effective they were, coupled with monetary compensation from Neo-DEAVA for the inconvenience, shut them up quite handily.

Which was why she sat alone at the station, humming a tune softly to herself. It made her think back on the years before Amata had been born, back when she was just an aspiring actress who had been excited to find out that she had been cast as the female lead in "Skies of Aquaria." She remembered the happiness she had felt when she had spent time with Izumo as lovers, the happiness she had felt when Amata had been born into the world. Memories of him growing up, healthy. Then there was darkness; an eternity of emptiness that filled the time she had spent in stasis. When she had finally awoken, the boy had become a young man; changed so much that she could barely recognize him as the child who had desperately followed her to the graveyard where Izumo had set up the dimension gate.

"_You grow up once again, again and again, going off far away. __  
__In anguish I watch over you, unable to rest... __  
__Just to sing your name..."_

She let the words fade away on her lips and sat in silence once more. Something about the song she had sung for "Skies of Aquaria" calmed her heart, steeled her for whatever might happen when her sons returned.

The bus arrived just after noon, carrying on it a pack of overly energetic students. As they came streaming out the doors onto the street, Alicia strained her neck trying to catch a glimpse of her sons. They were among the last to disembark, in the center of a group of friends. Alicia thought she recognized a few of their faces, but couldn't place a name to them yet. Kagura noticed her first and elbowed Amata in the ribs to get his attention.

Mother and child stood facing one another for what seemed hours. It was one of his friends, a green-haired girl, who finally broke the silence.

"Go on, Amata," she encouraged him. "We'll head back to the academy now so that you and Kagura-kun can have some time to yourselves."

Her son hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Pretty sure, so will you stop stalling and just go?" the girl replied with a smile on her face before shoving him on the back gently, but with enough force that Amata stumbled towards Alicia.

Kagura watched with a bemused expression on his face before stepping forwards to join him.

"Did you have a good trip?" Alicia asked. It was a casual question and more the sort that a mother with a good relationship with her son would ask, but Alicia couldn't think of anything better to say.

"It was fun," her son answered, shifting his weight to his other foot. Alicia was a good judge of body language and her son's told her that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable due to her presence.

"Let's go have lunch and you can tell me about it. You as well, Kagura," she said. "It's about time we all stopped avoiding each other for the sake of convenience. We're family after all."

-o-

The café was mostly empty when they entered; only two waitresses and the greeter were working, serving two tables worth of customers. They were immediately ushered to a small table that could seat four with comfortable padded benches. The large window looking out into the street let in enough light that it would have been possible for the shop to save on electricity if they so chose.

As they walked to their seats, the other patrons turned their heads in awe. The three of them were a noticeable bunch. Alicia still wore the dress she had on when she was taken out of stasis; hardly the sort that someone would wear on a casual outing. Coupled with how she had not aged while frozen and her naturally youthful appearance, anyone would have been surprised to learn that she was the mother of the two handsome young men who followed her.

Kagura eagerly grabbed a menu from the waitress serving their table before she could hand them out. She looked somewhat offended before recovering and handing out the other menus to Amata and Alicia. The red-haired boy looked through the pictures of the fare the café offered with zeal. Amata alternated between reading the menu and looking at his mother as if puzzled by why she had asked them to go on this outing. Alicia herself picked out what she wanted before setting her menu down. She watched her boys as they finished up, noting their behavior with the hawk-like eyes all mothers seemed to possess.

Kagura, the boy who had followed her to Altair. She didn't know all of the details yet, but based on a conversation with Zen Fudo, he was a part of Amata's soul. Or rather, _had_ been a part of Amata's soul; apparently the two were now wholly separate entities that only shared the same origin. The Supreme Commander's words were needlessly cryptic and confusing. Regardless, the red-haired youth was still her child and one she had never had the opportunity to get to know.

Amata, the boy she had left behind. In the ten years or so since she had vanished from his life, he had grown up better than she could have hoped for even in the absence of family. By all accounts, he was kind and considerate of others, never hesitating to help a friend in need. She was sorry to hear that his life had been difficult before entering Neo-DEAVA, but at the same time, proud that he had done well for himself.

"So, tell me about how things are in the academy, Amata," Alicia began. "Are you making many friends? Do the classes give you trouble?"

The boy hesitated a bit before answering. "The classes aren't too bad. Physical education is tough, but that's because Instructor Dantes is too used to being a drill sergeant."

Between mouthfuls of a sandwich, Kagura interjected, "Physical education is only tough for you because you're a wimp."

Alicia turned her attention to the other boy. She had heard that he had participated in abduction missions over the past few years, something she most certainly _did not_ approve of even if it was for the sake of Altair's survival. Coupled with Izumo's accounts of how the young man had issues with authority, Alicia supposed that she had a tainted view of her other son. She tried to clear her mind of the preconceptions she had of him before speaking.

"What about you, Kagura? Are you adjusting well to your new life?"

"He's fine," Amata said, looking pointedly away from his red-haired counterpart. "In fact, there's even a fan-club that follows him about in the hallways; impressive for someone who hasn't even been here a month."

Despite how few words had been exchanged up until now, Alicia felt like a young mother caught between two squabbling siblings; actually, come to think of it, that assessment was correct in every way. She sighed and rubbed her temples. _Had she ever been that bad as a teenager?_

"Alright you two," she said sternly, "When I'm addressing one of you, only the person I'm talking to should answer."

Surprisingly, both of them immediate shut up and sat up straighter. It seemed that despite her long absence, the trait of her as "mother" had been burned into their instincts so deeply that her words carried the weight of a command.

"I guess it's time to be a little more serious," Alicia said, feeling a little worried about what her sons' reactions would be. "Before, you said that I abandoned you, Amata. How much of that story do you already know?"

Her son recounted what he had heard from his father while in the infirmary. He knew about the circumstances behind her leaving, the "Curse of Eve," and how she had planned on returning as soon as possible. Almost everything Alicia had wanted to tell him. Almost everything she had feared he might learn a twisted version of…

"You know more than I had guessed you would have," Alicia admitted, looking from one son to the other. "If you two are still angry with me for everything I've done to you, I—I'll understand."

Kagura laughed, a loud laugh that was filled with amusement. The few patrons inside the café all shot him looks of annoyance, but he kept chuckling to himself. When Alicia was just beginning to wonder about whether to ask what he found so funny, he spoke.

"Angry with you? For what? Following you to Altair was my own decision to make and the consequences are mine to bear. As far as I'm concerned, there is neither good nor bad between us," Kagura stated. "That damn old man of mine though, I still have a bone to pick with him. Hitting him once wasn't enough."

Hearing that Kagura didn't hold anything against her was uplifting, although Alicia was a bit worried about his attitude towards Izumo. Between him and Amata, Alicia had been more concerned about his reaction considering how little she knew about him; something she hoped to be able to correct in the future.

Amata was deep in thought. "I've worked through my resentment towards you a long time ago," he finally said. "Seeing you does bring back painful memories, but if you hadn't left that day—." Here he paused, taking a long time to sip from a glass of water. "If you hadn't left back then, I might not have met all the people I have since then. No Zessica-san or Mikono-san. No Andy-kun, Jin-kun…all of my precious friends from Neo-DEAVA."

He had a sad sort of smile on his face. "In the end, I suppose it all balanced out. I'm not angry with you at all, not anymore. The past isn't something you can change no matter how much you regret; the future is more important. Like you said, we're family, and now that we're together, we can work things out."

Hearing those words made Alicia even more proud of how much her son had grown up in her absence. She went around the table and gave them both a hug, one arm around each boys' shoulder. They were both startled at first, especially Kagura, but after a moment, they returned her embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. A heartfelt "thank you" for both of her children.

* * *

Yunoha ran through the halls of the academy, asking everyone she passed whether they had seen Jin. He had disappeared from the dorms before Yunoha had finished unpacking. When she had knocked on his door, Andy answered the door and told her that Jin had left about a quarter of an hour ago without telling him where he was heading. He had had such a knowing smile on his face that Yunoha couldn't help but call back "Give MIX-san my regards when she gets here" as she left; an action that had caused the young man to do a double-take and stutter something incomprehensible.

It seemed that no one had seen Jin by the classrooms or the library, two of the places that seemed the most obvious locations to start searching in. Then again, everyone was still in vacation-mode, which meant that they were all only halfway rooted in reality. It was some time before one of the soldiers from Altair gave her the information she wanted and directed Yunoha towards the secondary hangars. She thanked him and ran out the rear doors of the school.

The secondary hangars were a makeshift shelter built after the mass evacuation from Altair. Taking up most of the area beyond the track and sports fields, they had been hastily erected to house the transport ships and machines brought over from Altair. The three buildings certainly looked shabby; in actuality, they were little more than concrete floors, supporting steel frames, and a lot of corrugated tin sheets that made up the walls and ceiling.

Yunoha peeked her head into the first hangar, but saw nothing except for technicians running about servicing their crafts. Jin's Radius Gnis was in the middle building which meant it was likely that the boy was present as well. She entered and walked over to the mech.

"Jin-kun?" Yunoha called up towards the head of the machine.

His face appeared by the right shoulder of the mech, his blond hair slightly disheveled and his face smudged with a spot of oil.

"Yunoha?" he asked. Then, with an apologetic expression, "I'll be down in a minute, I just need to put away my tools before I lose track of what's where."

His head retreated back out of sight. A few moments later, he reappeared, scrambling over the frame of his machine with surprising grace considering how long and ungainly his limbs looked. It didn't take him long to get to the ground.

"Did you need something?" Jin asked her. "I'm pretty surprised to see you all the way out here."

Yunoha looked at him appraisingly. Jin had taken off the bulky gray overcoat he usually wore. He was currently wearing a blue tank-top, black jeans, and mechanic's gloves. He also had a pair of goggles strapped to his head. The black stains across his top, shoulders, and arms made him look like a seasoned mechanic, a side of him that Yunoha had never seen before. Yunoha decided that the look suited him well; made him look a little tougher.

"What are you doing?" Yunoha asked him, curious.

Jin ran a hand through his hair before realizing that his gloves were covered in grease. Grimacing and looking at his machine, he replied, "You know how this machine is just a prototype, right?"

Yunoha nodded.

"Unlike movies and shows, this prototype is far inferior to the one I usually pilot. Before Operation Altair, I only used it to test equipment for the combat model. It's a durable frame, to be sure, moreso than the combat version, but it's less responsive, slower, and has its fair share of flaws that didn't need to be corrected before now."

Yunoha walked a few steps forwards so she was standing next to Jin. "So you're fixing it now?"

Jin nodded, "The targeting system is clunky and the mobility is several tiers below the combat model, those need upgrades immediately. There's also the issue with the charge life on the Akhtar System that I encountered back on Altair. I'm planning to add a plasma cutter function to those in addition to upgrading how long those units can operate for."

Yunoha's expression fell, her fears slowly becoming realized.

Jin noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong, Yunoha?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Jin-kun…" Yunoha said softly, "You're going to pilot that machine for sure, right?"

"I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't planning on it," he answered. He didn't seem to realize that Yunoha was worried that he would answer that way.

Yunoha looked up at the silver face of the Radius Gnis. "So are you going to stop piloting a Vector? Now that you have your own machine, you'll be fine on your own in a fight—"

Jin looked startled by how hurt she appeared. The possibility of never doing a Union with Jin again was a painful thought for Yunoha. It was like the sun had been taken out of the sky, as if joy had fled the world.

"That's what's worrying you, Yunoha?" he asked quietly.

Yunoha nodded, sniffing to keep her nose from running.

"I don't plan on never piloting a Vector again," Jin answered honestly. "I want to be able to support you no matter what, Yunoha. With the Radius Zero, I can do that even if I'm not assigned to a Vector."

Yunoha looked up at his face.

He smiled at her, a warm and gentle smile, and continued, "I wouldn't be able to bear it if you were hurt on the frontlines and all I could do was watch from the command room. This way, I can be there for you—always."

He reached out a hand and patted his mech fondly. It left a handprint on the otherwise stain-free surface.

"It's a beautiful machine," Yunoha said. Devoid of paint, it looked like…pure, like its owner.

Jin turned towards her and smiled brilliantly. "Not nearly as beautiful as you are," he replied. "Nor as reliable or as strong."

Yunoha blushed and wouldn't have been surprised if she faded out of sight. She stepped forwards, arms outstretched with the intention to embrace him. To her surprise, a barrier was in the way. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"I don't want to get all this grime on you," Jin said sheepishly. He indicated the oil and grease stains that coated his front. "But we can compromise."

The barrier seemed to soften, molding around the two of them. It was still between Yunoha and Jin, but she could feel his warmth as he held her close. She closed her eyes, willing the moment to last longer.

In the end she broke off the hug before he did and took a step back. "I should be going," she said. "I don't want to keep you any longer, especially if every moment you work is important towards getting your machine in top shape."

"Stay," Jin pleaded. "You won't be in the way at all and your company would be encouraging. Having a reminder of what I'm fighting for nearby—is the best motivation I can have."

Yunoha didn't know how much time she spent with him. The two made small talk the whole time that Jin worked on the machine. Occasionally, he would teach her how to calibrate a system or how to dismantle something for reassembly. In the end, she fell asleep on a workbench, curled up with her doll. She woke up momentarily to find that Jin had draped his coat over her; the boy himself was taking a nap, sitting down propped up against the foot of the Radius Zero. Yunoha yawned drowsily before pulling Jin's coat a little tighter and returning to sleep.

* * *

"How is the installation of the defense grid in this sector going?" Izumo asked Ein.

His former guardsman had been promoted to the overly-long title of "Overseer of Operations in the Western Sector of Neo-Kowloon"; a job that now meant supervising roughly a quarter of the men brought over from Altair as well as numerous contractors from private firms.

"Ahead of schedule, sir," Ein replied, looking at his datapad. "As of this afternoon, we have twenty automated anti-armor, anti-air, solid ammunition emplacements in place."

"What about beam weaponry?"

Ein scratched his head. "That's an odd thing, sir. The people of Vega don't seem to _use_ beam weapons much. We've only managed to procure five pieces that would be of any use against Gnis units. Those were distributed strategically throughout the city and we _are_ trying to get more but I wouldn't get my hopes up. In the meantime, we'll have to go with what we have."

Izumo nodded thoughtfully. He had always been taken aback by the strange state of affairs on Vega. For one, there didn't seem to be much in the way of a conventional military force anywhere on the planet. Even when the so-called "Abductions" were at a peak, very few nations tried to defend themselves against the invaders, choosing instead to rely on Neo-DEAVA and the Aquarion. Another oddity was why the pilots of the Aquarion were so young. Defending the world should be a job for adults, not for youngsters who had barely begun to find their place in the world.

"Izumo-sama?" Ein asked, interrupting the Commander's thoughts. "It's not in my place to question your actions, but isn't your son returning from his trip today?"

"Sons," Izumo corrected. "My sons should have returned by now, but my wife is there to greet them when they arrive."

"Are you sure you shouldn't be there as well?"

Izumo frowned. Mere weeks ago, his subordinate would never have questioned his actions. Then again, mere weeks ago, Izumo had been a family-less leader driven by the sole need to save his world from a slow death. Things had changed greatly since then.

"This is more important," Izumo finally answered. "The installation of these defenses may prove essential in preventing excess damage to Neo-DEAVA. As a father, it is my duty to see to the safety of my children and those they care about before worrying about my personal relationship with them."

An excuse, but to the Commander, a valid one. Izumo vowed to himself that once everything that needed to be done to ensure the safety of those he loved was finished, he would allow himself the time to be a father to his children.

Ein looked out over the city, the wind ruffling his wavy brown hair. "It's a beautiful city," he said after a moment. "I wonder why we didn't just move here instead of bringing Rar—my mistake, women, back to Altair."

"Because one world cannot support the burden of two worlds worth of people," Izumo replied. "And because we didn't know whether the 'Curse of Eve' could be transmitted to this world from excess contact with the natives. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case, but the first problem still exists."

A jingling tune cut through the air, cheerful and full of energy. Looking rather embarrassed, Ein took a cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the display. His face lit up as he read the message.

"Someone you know?" Izumo asked in his usual stoic tone.

"Ah—just this girl I met in a nearby café," Ein said, his face flushing slightly. "She wants to know when I'll get off from work so that we—" He cut off the rest of what he was going to say, suddenly realizing who he was talking to.

Izumo was forcibly reminded of how he had been in his youth during the time he had been with Alicia. He kept his expression neutral but reserved a smile for himself as he said, "Go ahead and take the rest of the day off. I'll handle matters here."

"A-Are you sure?" Ein asked with a mix of surprise, gratefulness, and nervousness. "I can't just leave you with my tasks. You're still my superior—"

Izumo sighed. Did he really have to repeat himself? Especially when his subordinate looked ready to dash off at a moment's notice? Youth will always act the same way, no matter what generation they came from.

"Just go," the Commander said. And then a piece of advice, "Never keep a lady waiting."

Ein thanked Izumo profusely as he scrambled off, nearly tripping over his own boots in his haste. Mere weeks ago, that young man had been a soldier first and foremost, determined to live his life out for Altair and Altair alone. Now, it seemed he had found something else worth living for. Things had indeed changed greatly since then.

* * *

"Mykage-sama."

"Yes?"

Mykage was watching the over Neo-DEAVA and Apollonius', or rather, Fudo Zen's futile efforts to counter his plans when a guard interrupted him. Although irked him that he had been disturbed, Mykage knew that whatever the man wanted to report was likely to be important. Those who bothered Mykage over trivial matters had a tendency to lose their jobs.

"The expedition team you requested we send to that location has reported that they have found something of interest."

"Is that so?" Mykage said, his usual smile turning upwards ever so slightly. "And what of the progress on repairing the Dimension Gate Generator?"

The guard gave him a salute before answering, "Repairs are going smoothly and ahead of schedule. Thanks to your decision to dismantle the failing segments of the Ianthe to use for raw materials, we have manufactured all the required components to fix the generator in short order. The remaining material has been sent to the factories for use in constructing more Gnis units. Our current estimate is that it will take about two months to complete repairs and a week beyond that to confirm that the dimension gate is forming properly and safe for use."

Mykage nodded. "You have done well in bringing this to my attention," he said. "You may go now—dismissed."

The soldier saluted once more before turning on his heels and marching out. Mykage was rather fond of how the military helmets had visors that covered most of the face. While Izumo had requested a design that allowed important information to be sent directly to troops via a built-in screen, it also allowed Mykage the luxury of not needing to remember each individual; as befitting of pawns in his greater scheme.

Mykage floated out of his residence and headed for the site where he had sent the expedition team. He could have just gone there directly, but he took the long way around this time so that he could look at the progress he had made on Altair. Most of the wreckage from the fighting had been cleared away, although destroyed buildings gave testament to what had occurred. Izumo's supporters had held out to the last, only surrendering when it became clear that the only options were to give up or slowly be starved out of hiding. Those who had turned themselves over were now undergoing an intense "rehabilitation" program.

The Dimension Gate Generator hung low in the sky, looking fully functional. Izumo _had_ been very precise when he dismantled it, but that would prove to be his undoing. That man truly thought that, one day, he would regain control of Altair; Mykage suppressed the urge to laugh. The care the former Commander had taken in disabling the device would make it easier to fix the generator; transport ships were moving components up to the machine where a small army of technicians and engineers were hard at work.

The expedition site looked more like an archaeological dig than a military camp, and for good reason. Though the common soldiers may not know it, the place Mykage had sent them to was 12,000 years old, from the previous cycle of reincarnation. The last epoch of the Shadow Angels.

"Mykage-sama!" One of the guards on lookout exclaimed when he appeared before him. "It's an honor to meet you in person."

"The pleasure is mine," Mykage said; he had a way with words and intonation that incited loyalty in those he wished to manipulate. "I was informed that your team may have found something of interest to me?"

"Yes! Right this way, Mykage-sama."

The soldier led him to a canvas tent where several scientists were busy examining a specimen on top of a cheap fold-up table. In the field, convenience always trumped luxury. As soon as the two entered the tent, the scientists looked up and greeted Mykage respectfully.

"This is a really exciting time for us, Mykage-sama," the chief researcher said breathlessly. "Not only do we get the chance to learn about an ancient civilization previously unknown to us, but what we have here defies what we've considered scientific fact."

He indicated the specimen on the table, a large ball of what looked to be amber. Preserved within was a single white feather.

"This object has an identical chemical signature to amber. In fact, it would be classified as such except for one detail; carbon dating has returned a result of 12,000 years, plus or minus 400 years, not nearly enough time for the resin to change over. We suspected outside contamination, so to be sure, we're running a second test now."

Mykage gave the scientist a level look. "The age of the object is irrelevant. Can you extract what is sealed within or not?"

The scientist looked shocked at the idea. "But, Mykage-sama, this is an unprecedented opportunity. If we merely destroy the encasing material now, who knows what knowledge we might have forsaken?"

_Scientists,_ Mykage thought, _always too interested in the things that don't matter_. He replied, "Very well, take samples from the outside if you must, but I want that feather extracted, _unharmed_, before the end of the day."

"If you would pardon the rudeness, Mykage-sama, you seem to know what that thing is. Could you give us some information?"

Mykage figured that telling the man would not be detrimental to his goals. "A parting gift from an old friend. A relic from the most loyal of companions and greatest of musicians. Be very careful recovering that feather, any damage done to it will be returned a thousand-fold to you."

The scientists in the room all gulped nervously, suddenly sweating profusely.

Mykage turned to leave, but before he did, he asked one last question. "How far into the ruins has the expedition gone?"

"Progress has been rather slow," the head researcher admitted. "The ruins are rather unstable and going too fast would mean risking a collapse. Besides, there's already so much we have found in the upper levels…"

Mykage gave the man a brief nod to show that he approved before exiting the tent. He didn't bother with moving the flap out of his way, instead choosing to phase through the fabric. It was a not-so-subtle reminder to the scientists of his powers beyond human comprehension. Behind him, he could almost hear the musical chimes coming from the feather encased in amber.

_Otoha,_ he thought,_ I thank you for your undying faith in me. How ironic it is that you yourself are no longer here when your legacy will herald the first of many victories over Apollonius._

* * *

*notes: Finally finished with this chapter. This wraps up pretty much everything I wanted to do prior to a time-skip to when Altair is able to open a rift to Vega once again. No Mikono POV segment before the skip though for those of you who may be concerned about her fate. I can't really say much about my plans for the next chapter since I don't want to give anything away early, but I will say that the next arc will be more action oriented than the post-Operation Altair chapters have been.

As for why Izumo still refuses to interact with his sons, I picture him as the type of person who's great when it comes to boss-subordinate interactions but worse than Jin when it comes to more intimate ones. I actually wanted to do an Andy/MIX segment, but it would make the chapter too long; then there's the problem of not having enough material for a new chapter featuring them…maybe in another omake or something down the line…

Preview of the next (tentative) chapter title:

**Chapter 17: Unfading Memories**


	17. Chapter 17: Weakened Resolve

**Chapter 17: Weakened Resolve**

The academy had been on high alert the past week. Commander Izumo had predicted that it would take at least three months for any new dimension gates to form, but it never hurt to be cautious. It was now three months and three days since Operation Altair.

Looking about the campus, Amata marveled at how much change had been wrought since that day. Many of his father's men had been given jobs around campus and those that hadn't were all settled down in Neo-Kowloon. Neo-DEAVA's higher-ups had to pull quite a few strings to get the legal documentation done for all three hundred-plus soldiers from Altair; in fact, no one down at the immigration department had any idea what to fill out in the case of refugees from another planet. The academy itself looked much the same as ever, but if one was observant, one would notice hidden weapons emplacements scattered about the rooftops and recesses of the school.

Perhaps the most noticeable change was the new hangar. After the first month, someone had finally decided that a more permanent arrangement was necessary. It took over a month of non-stop construction work but the new building, a combination of the three temporary ones, was much better suited for its purpose. They had kept the corrugated tin roof; many of the technicians from Altair found the rhythmic tapping during rain showers soothing.

"Yo, Amata!"

Amata half-turned before Kagura clapped him on the back…hard. Speaking of changes, Kagura had undergone noticeable change since they had first merged. He was still abrasive and was frequently at odds with MIX due to personality differences, but on the whole, he was a lot more accepting of others now. Well, accepting of others with the exception of their father. Whenever Kagura and the Commander crossed paths, however infrequently, it felt as if a sword were about to be drawn out of its scabbard. Amata himself was less overtly hostile with his father, but there remained a distance between them; interactions between the two rarely extended any further than a formal greeting.

"Good afternoon, Kagura," Amata said as he rubbed at where Kagura had hit him; the other young man still did not fully understand that for casual greetings such as high-fives and pats on the back, you were supposed to hold back on your strength. Still, it was better than when the red-haired youth had first been introduced to the concept of "shaking hands"; he had almost dislocated Andy's arm that day.

"You're in high spirits today," he added, observing the expression on Kagura's face.

Although the other boy appeared cheerful, Amata knew that it was at least partly an act. Although he didn't show it in public, Kagura was getting more and more worried over what had become of Mikono. Amata was getting very concerned himself; it had been over three months since she had been left behind on Altair. Even if the "Curse of Eve" wasn't an issue, it didn't sit well with anyone that they had failed to bring Mikono back. The best way to deal with that stress—was to perpetuate the lie between each other that she was alright.

"Battle nerves," Kagura replied. "I just can't wait until that bastard Mykage opens a dimension gate."

"There's a saying we have here," Amata said. "'Be careful what you wish for.' You can bet that an open gate would mean trouble for us."

"It also means another chance to get Mikono back," Kagura countered, determination set in his eyes. "I will not let Mykage get away with taking her."

Amata nodded. He wasn't willing to sacrifice as much as Kagura would to get Mikono back, but the difference was slim. They hadn't been slacking off the past few months either, running training simulation after training simulation of combat using a program Jin had created that simulated piloting Vectors. Amata and Kagura had trained the hardest of all, pushing each other to the limit when they faced each other as the head of their respective Aquarion units. Both boys favored the versatility of the Evol most, but Supreme Commander Fudo had also made them practice with the Gepard and Spada so as to learn the limitations of the other two forms.

The sound of running footsteps behind them caused the two boys to turn around. Andy caught up to them and then paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"We're needed down at the command center, right away," he gasped.

"Is it a gate?" Kagura asked excitedly.

"I dunno—all they told me was to find all the pilots and have them meet in the command room for the time being," Andy replied.

It was a stunning example of Fudo Gen withholding information like a miser held onto gold yet again. Without any other choice in the matter, the boys headed for the designated meeting spot via the shortest possible route. When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of a large crew of very tired looking personnel manning the computer terminals.

"What's going on?" Amata asked as a student came running past with a tray full of coffee to fuel those running the computers.

Another of the passing students explained, "We don't know for sure, but there've been several quantum field fluctuations in the past half-hour that suggest we might be receiving unwanted guests from Altair soon."

Kagura cracked his knuckles and grinned malevolently. "Perfect," he growled.

The other pilots were all gathered around the Supreme Commander's table, anxiously awaiting orders. Their nervous energy was plain to see; between the pacing, foot tapping, and fidgeting, it was a wonder that no one had broken down from a case of the nerves yet.

"I see you boys finally decided to show up," MIX chided them with a tone of disapproval. "Keeping everyone else waiting—I suppose I should have expected as much from you three."

"Missed you too MIX," Andy said as charmingly as he could. She glared at him for a second before her expression softened into a smile.

A buzzing alarm filled the room, causing the Elements to jump.

"The signal has stabilized," one technician declared.

The large screen cut to a scene in a location that looked oddly familiar to Amata. The city looked abandoned and desolate, with vines and large, lotus-like flowers blooming high above the rooftops. In fact, the plants looked oversized and completely out of place. A moment later, Amata realized why it all looked so familiar; it was his hometown before moving to Neo-DEAVA. Judging by Kagura's reaction besides him, the other boy also recognized the place from the memories they shared.

High above the city, a glowing portal had formed and, less than a minute later, several mass produced Gnis units dropped down, followed by an unknown humanoid-shaped machine. It was a silvery-white color and somewhat resembled the mech that Amata, Zessica, and Yunoha had fought on Altair.

"Mykage—," Kagura growled.

The red-haired boy ran off before anyone could stop him. Dashing past the technicians and jumping down an entire floor's worth of stairs effortlessly, the boy climbed into a Vector before any of the startled people in the room could stop him. Only Supreme Commander Fudo didn't look surprised; in fact, he looked rather pleased with the turn of events.

"Stop the launch!" Instructor Dantes shouted over to the students at the computer terminals.

The efforts of those students were in vain. A red caution symbol appeared in the air before them, projected by the computers, followed by a label reading "ERROR."

"It's no good," one student cried out. "Nothing works! He keeps overriding everything instantly!"

The Vector Z launched, leaving a vapor trail behind as it soared into the clouds. Back in the command room, Instructor Dantes was shouting through the communication channel into the Vector for Kagura to return to base. If he heard it, Kagura didn't answer; a small arrow on the world map displayed on the large screen in the room tracked his progress as the Vector flew further away.

"Damn it all!" the Instructor said angrily. "We need to send people after him right away."

Headmistress Crea nodded. "Amata Sora, Zessica Wong, prepare to sortie. Go after Kagura and try to talk him into returning. If that doesn't work, support him and if it's within reason, stop the enemy force before they reach whatever their goal is."

Amata acknowledged his orders and ran off to the Vector hangar. Since his usual machine had been taken, he picked the Vector X for this mission. Zessica, not far behind, jumped into the cockpit of the Vector Y. As the launch catapult powered up, Amata heard another alarm sounding from the control room through the communication channel.

* * *

"What is it this time?" Suomi-sensei asked, running over to one of the computer terminals.

"The gate over Neo-Venice has closed," the technician manning the station answered. "But now there's a new fluctuation—target location…less than five hundred meters offshore!"

Instructor Dantes cursed and turned around to Commander Izumo. "We'll need to get the stationary defenses up and running quickly. Will you and Jin-kun be able to get to your machines in time?"

The Commander nodded, "My men were placed on alert as soon as I was told of the possibility of an attack; they should all be ready by now. As for the latter—" Turning to Jin, "We have a job to do; keep the enemy away from the academy as much as possible."

Jin nodded resolutely, looking to Yunoha before running out the room. As a soldier, he knew the value of haste on the battlefield. Izumo spun about on his heels and quickly departed, somehow managing to look dignified despite his hurried pace. The tail of his longcoat billowed behind him as he moved, adding to the effect.

Headmistress Crea announced to everyone in the room and the two pilots in their Vectors, "We will launch the second Aquarion as well. Amata Sora and Zessica Wong, your mission remains unchanged. Cayenne, Malloy, Sazanka; you three will pilot the second set of Vectors and help with the defense."

As the Vectors X and Y launched from the hangar, a bright glow filled the air over the ocean. The light expanded into a rent in the fabric of space-time. It would only be a matter of time before the first enemy crafts arrived.

* * *

It took Jin a few minutes to get to the Radius Gnis Zero. In that time, the Dimension Gate had stabilized and enemy units were already starting to exit. The weapons emplacements around Neo-Kowloon and the academy were being put to good use, greeting the enemy with a long salvo of armor-piercing rounds. This time, the enemy had chosen a poor spot to open the portal to; far enough from anything that mattered that the gunners didn't have to risk friendly fire or collateral damage, and close enough that they were in range of every single defense turret. Jin hoped that the reason behind this was because Mykage had not expected a defense grid and not what he suspected; that Mykage was purposely letting the refugees from Altair slaughter their kinsmen in droves to break them down psychologically.

Either way, Jin had a mission to see to. There was no way he would allow anyone to threaten Yunoha's safety, nor the wellbeing of his friends. It was time to put his modifications to his personal unit to the test. Around him, the Radius Gnis Zero hummed as the engine powered up. A quick systems check let Jin know that everything was fully charged and ready to go. He made the arm of his mech reach out towards the back of the hangar; as if in answer to the machine's gesture, the hexagonal plates of the Akhtar System flew out towards it and arranged themselves on the surface of the prototype unit.

Jin had changed up the configuration the pieces arranged themselves in. The "armor" the plates formed was now much more streamlined. When she had first seen it, Yunoha said it looked like a knight's suit of armor. After looking up what she had meant in the academy archives, Jin thought the description was apt; he would be Yunoha's knight, her defender and companion for as long as he drew breath.

He established separate communications links with the pilots in the Vectors, the command center, and Commander Izumo. "Radius Gnis, taking off," he declared as his machine ran out the open hangar doors and took to the skies. To his side, Jin could see the exhaust coming from the back of the Vectors as Amata and Zessica flew off in pursuit of Kagura. He wished them the best of luck.

"Look sharp, Jin," Commander Izumo said calmly. "Take it easy at first and get used to the controls of your unit again. I can handle the slack until then."

The white form of the Ahura Gnis rose up next to Jin. It had finally been fully repaired of all the damage it had taken against the Aquarion and looked as majestic as ever, the unchallengeable emperor of the skies. King and knight flew towards the battlefield side by side.

Over the water, enemy units continued to come out of the Dimension Gate. There appeared to be a few survivors in the water who had made it out of their machines before they had been shot down, but those people would have to wait to be secured. Jin's machine registered 34 enemy units in the immediate vicinity, a number that was continuing to increase.

"Overseers Ein and Zwei, save you ammunition for any units that approach the city, let us handle things here," Commander Izumo ordered his subordinates through an open communication channel.

"Roger that," they both replied at the same time.

As fire from the direction of the city halted, the enemy craft rearranged themselves into formation and awaited Izumo and Jin's arrival. A rather stupid decision, Jin thought, considering how badly similar tactics worked for them on Altair. 200 meters off, the lead unit of the Altair force opened communications with the Ahura Gnis and Radius Gnis.

"Well, well. If it isn't the traitor and his lackey," the visored figure scoffed contemptuously. "And here I thought you couldn't have sunken to a more pitiable level than you had already."

The hypocrisy annoyed Jin for a brief moment, but Izumo didn't let the man's tone rattle him. Calmly, he answered, "Did you come here just to bandy words? Or does Mykage actually have some bite behind his pretty speeches and half-truths?"

The figure grimaced over the video feed. "Never insult Mykage-sama again. In just three short months, he's done more for Altair than you or your mother have done during your lifetimes." The enemy units spread out. "And he's given us quite the gift too; try not to die too quickly… former Commander."

Jin's instincts, honed through battle and reviewing hundreds of hours of battle footage, told him that something was odd about the enemy movements. They seemed too precise, too organized somehow. Almost as if they were chess pieces guided on the board by some invisible hand. No human team was ever _that_ coordinated; the communication channel with the enemy was still open, and Jin couldn't hear any interactions between the individual units. It was impossible…and yet still happening.

"Deploying the Akhtar System," Jin declared as the hexagonal plates split apart and shot off in all directions from his craft.

"Please, prodigal son of Altair," the enemy soldier sneered. "That trick may have worked three months ago, but we know the weaknesses of your machine now."

The enemy units scattered, each expertly dodging the beams from Jin's weapons system. Concentrated fire managed to damage several craft, but none of them took critical damage. The enemy returned fire, mostly with beam weaponry, but some with solid ammunition. The former, Jin deflected using the shield-like side of the Akhtar System's individual units; polished to a mirror-like surface, they reflected beam weaponry very nicely. The solid ammunition was easily stopped using his power of "Isolation."

"You didn't think I spent the last three months sitting on my thumbs waiting, did you?" Jin couldn't help but say. He pushed a button on his controls and the Akhtar System switched over to what he dubbed "Cutter-Mode." It was a simple concept, give each unit of the whole the ability to generate a plasma blade, have it rotate rapidly, and you instantly had nearly a hundred buzz-saws floating around the battlefield. For all its simplicity, it produced a terrifying effect, causing the Altair units to flee whenever one was near—a move that allowed Izumo to pick off enemy mechs at his leisure.

For all their efforts, Jin and Izumo alone weren't enough to take down the enemies fast enough. Thankfully, the Aquarion Gepard was there to pick up most of the slack, with Cayenne impressively demonstrating that it _was_ possible to snipe with a scope-less heavy caliber automatic rifle.

"You damned traitor," the enemy leader scowled. "Just go ahead and die like you deserve already!"

"I'm not the one who callously throws his men into the grinder without a care in the world," Izumo countered. "Mykage cares _nothing_ for Altair; his only concerns are his own goals."

"Mykage-sama has saved Altair, you bastard," the soldier growled. "Your precious Ianthe? _That_ was the cause of the 'Curse of Eve.' You and your abomination of a mother—you planned that from the start to stay in power, didn't you?"

"W-What?" Izumo looked startled.

The enemy soldier removed his helmet for the first time, revealing an aged face. Based on the number of wrinkles and how pale his hair was, the man was at least a generation older than Izumo; rare for someone from Altair. Izumo's stoic expression was unable to contain his surprise. His eyes widened slightly and, for the first time ever, Jin saw his commander at a loss for words. The Ahura Gnis's movements slowed considerably.

The enemy leader screamed through the open communication channel, "Don't play dumb! Less than a week after Mykage had us dismantle portions of the Ianthe, we discovered several previously thought to have been extinct species, females included. The so-called 'Curse of Eve' was all—YOUR—FAULT! My mother, sisters, and daughter died lingering deaths because of you, so JUST—DIE –ALREADY!"

The Ahura Gnis had stopped moving completely. Taking advantage of the machine's defenselessness, the enemy swarmed about it, peppering it with gunfire. Although Izumo's mech was heavily armored, it quickly started taking damage, smoke rising from several spots. Jin hastily directed his Akhtar units to defend Commander Izumo.

"Commander! Are you alright?" Jin asked, feeling very concerned.

The older man did not answer. In his video feed, Commander Izumo was staring out into space disbelievingly. His eyes, normally fierce and determined, now looked more lifeless than stone. He was in no shape to be in a battlefield; Jin had to get him out.

"Cayenne-san!" Jin shouted through a channel to the Aquarion. "We've run into trouble. I need to get the Commander back to base. Can you provide covering fire?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jin plunged headfirst into the fray. His power helped prevent most of the damage that he would have sustained, but he lost several units of the Akhtar System and took a few hits to non-vital systems as he went in and grabbed the Ahura Gnis by the arm. Dragging it behind him slowed Jin down considerably, and the enemy took advantage of the situation. He ended up losing another dozen pieces of his weapons system by using them as shields before the supporting fire from the Aquarion Gepard pushed the enemy Gnis units back. It would prove to be only a short reprieve.

* * *

"Kagura!" Amata shouted as soon as the Vector Z came into view. Based on how fast the other boy had left Neo-DEAVA, he had thought it would be impossible to catch up.

"About time you slackers caught up," the red-haired young man said with a grin. "You didn't think I was stupid enough to take on Mykage alone, now did you?"

Amata wasn't surprised at all by his (former) other half. After all, they had been melded together for long enough that he knew Kagura almost as well as he knew himself. And one thing the other boy had been sure of was that there was no possibility of him beating Mykage in a one on one confrontation.

Zessica, on the other hand, sputtered, "Y-You!? Wha—?"

"I take it that we won't be able to persuade you to return to base?" Amata asked calmly, secretly enjoying watching Zessica's expression shift rapidly. After all the times she had teased him just to see him float, it was a refreshing change.

"Not a chance," Kagura answered. "Not until that snake gets what he deserves and I have my woman back in my arms."

Well, their instructions from the Headmistress had been clear; in the event that Kagura couldn't be persuaded (not that Amata had really tried very hard,) support him. The Vectors X and Y fell into formation behind Kagura, who accelerated to full speed.

"Any clue what we'll encounter there?"Amata asked.

"You should know, Amata," Kagura answered."You've seen them in Apollo's memories as well. Somehow Mykage has gotten ahold of Cherubim units and is using them to fight."

"Apollo's memories?" Zessica asked, finally recovering. "Well, that's all well and good for you two, but I'd like not to be left in the dark about all this. What the hell is a Cherubim?"

Kagura frowned, trying to think of how to explain. In the end, Amata was forced to provide a brief explanation. "Cherubims were what the Shadow Angels used in battle 12,000 years ago. They're fast and strong, and certain ones had special abilities. Most of them are weaker than the Aquarion, but there were a few that nearly took down even the Legendary Aquarion."

"And we're up against one of them?" Zessica said. "Just great—You'd better appreciate this, Kagura. Because you're going to owe us big-time."

The city of Neo-Venice appeared before them. Despite its name, it was not actually built where the original Venice had been located, instead being named because its design resembled the original city. It looked a lot different now.

Although Amata had seen the footage of the city in the command room, the change was much more jarring from up close. The large bluish flowers looked even more unearthly from this distance and seemed to resonate with an alien power. The city looked like it had been shelled; several months of abandonment should not have resulted in so much disrepair.

A single enemy was floating at the very center of the city, awaiting their arrival. If there were any other units around, they were not in sight. It turned to face the Vectors as they arrived, but made no move to meet them. As the three teens approached, a screen opened up in Amata's cockpit. A quick glance at the video feeds into the other two Vectors confirmed that Zessica and Kagura were receiving the same transmission.

"I bid you welcome, young ones," Mykage said, somehow doing so without moving his lips. "I have been awaiting you anxiously, for your presence is required for the Wings of the Sun to fully awaken."

"Yeah? I've been awaiting you anxiously for the past three months," Kagura shot back. "So that I can kick your ass!"

Without waiting for approval from the command center or for Amata and Zessica to prepare, he shouted, "Vengeance Union! Go, Aquarion!"

Amata found himself engulfed in ecstasy as his soul joined with Kagura's familiar one and Zessica's passionate one inside the Aquarion. He could hear Zessica crying out something in pleasure, but the words were drowned out as his own senses overloaded.

"Well, Mykage," Kagura said with a bit of a sneer. "How would you like your beatdown?"

The feathery-haired man just laughed musically, "Try to put as much emotion into it as you can, please. I'd like for the _true_ Wings of the Sun to surface as soon as possible."

Kagura took that as a challenge and charged at the enemy machine, spinning around once and attempting to kick it in the head. The Cherubim slid backwards and dodged the attack by a hair's breadth. It returned fire by hurling what appeared to be large, glowing daggers at the Aquarion. Apollo's memories served the two boys well here; both knew that getting hit by one of those could end up immobilizing them. They dodged the counterattack and retaliated with a Mugen Attack.

The enemy unit avoided the initial punch gracefully, sidestepping and allowing the fist to crash through a building. It also dodged the subsequent returning punches as the fist arced about trying to reach it. In the end, Kagura was forced to retract the fist or risk entangling himself in the segments of his own extended arm.

"I don't think this is going anywhere, Kagura," Amata said. "Let's switch configurations while we still can."

"Shut up, I can do this," came the reply.

Zessica interrupted, "I think Amata is right. At least give it a shot."

The red-haired boy glared at her for a moment before answering, "Fine, do as you want. But I'm taking over again when you screw up."

"As if," she scoffed.

The enemy seemed to be taking its time toying with them, allowing the three pilots to split and recombine into the Aquarion Spada without interfering. Amata voiced his opinion that something strange was going on.

"Mykage's probably just getting overconfident," Kagura replied. "All the better for us!"

The Aquarion Spada turned out to be a good match against the Cherubim. Its speed and agility allowed it to match the enemy move for move and they were able to stick in close, blocking the rather weak counter-strikes of the white machine with its shield. Zessica performed a rather impressive series of flourishes with the Spada's sword, driving the Cherubim back.

"I've been taking a few lessons from Shrade," she explained to Amata, whose jaw had dropped.

Placing the shield in front of the enemy's head to block its vision, she stepped forwards and cut low, scoring a hit across the chest of the Cherubim. She paused after that hit, a novice sword wielder's mistake that allowed the enemy to backpedal and gain distance after a non-lethal hit.

"Damn it," Zessica muttered to herself, "Shrade did say to keep up with any advantage on the battlefield. Sorry, that was my fault, you two."

"No problem," Amata replied. He was still completely impressed with how well Zessica had handled that offense.

Kagura didn't answer at all. Instead, he looked at the Cherubim with a distressed expression on his face.

"This scent," he exclaimed. "It's not possible…"

The Spada's last attack had cut a horizontal gash through the armored front of the Cherubim's cockpit. Inside, Amata could see a small figure. The pilot was wearing a black uniform, standard for the Altair military. What wasn't standard was how the uniform fit on the person's frame. Petite and curvy, the figure was distinctly female. The pilot reached up and took off the visored helmet that was a part of the uniform.

Amata's eyes widened as the pilot's dark hair flowed out of the helmet to frame her features.

Mykage's visage on the communication screen twisted upwards ever so slightly into a mocking grin.

"Mikono…san," he gasped.

* * *

*Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long for me to write. I actually took a bit of a break from writing over the weekend and on Monday. The pace was getting a little tough to keep up (roughly 10,000 words per week.) A decent number of things are happening all at once in the Aquarion-verse this time around, with two simultaneous attacks on Vega.

Mykage gets to do what I feel like he did best in the anime, be a manipulative ass. Enemy commander who is basically unhittable and counter-attacks everything you throw at him standing in your way? Shatter his will by turning his own men against him and telling him the truth behind the "Curse of Eve." Yes, this incarnation of Mykage knew about it all along, he just preferred to watch the people of Altair struggle futilely before stepping in because it was entertaining and he had no real reason to help them with their "women problems" before now. Powerful element user who can just spam a power that reverses any damage he takes? Turn his true love into your loyal pawn so that he _can't_ reverse attacks without hitting her with the backlash.

Turns out I screwed up with the timing on the chapter names. The _**next**_ one will be **Unfading Memories**. Eh, there's a first time for everything I guess.


	18. Chapter 18: Unfading Memories

**Chapter 18: Unfading Memories**

"Is he alright?" Alicia asked as the Radius Gnis finished touching down on the academy grounds, still supporting the Ahura Gnis. Jin found himself unable to answer. Not because he didn't know Izumo's status, but because the idol he had admired since he was a child was right there in front of his eyes.

Alicia didn't wait for an answer, instead running over to her husband's machine. She scaled the ladder the soldiers had brought over surprisingly quickly for someone wearing an ornate dress and opened the hatch to the cockpit from outside. Still seated within, Izumo didn't seem to notice his wife's presence at all. It was quite the task in extracting him; in the end, they had to lower him by moving him over onto the palm of the Radius Gnis' hand.

Jin's commander sat on the ground, staring straight ahead, unblinkingly. Every so often, he would mumble something along the lines of "It's my fault." He did not seem to register anyone else, not even Alicia who was holding his hand and stroking his hair in a comforting manner. Jin had seen that type of shell-shocked look before, but he had never expected to see it on someone as hard and tough as Commander Izumo. It was a painful reminder of human fragility—a reminder of why he had chosen to distance himself from others in the past.

Jin turned towards his mech in an effort to distract himself from those thoughts. The Radius Gnis Zero was a sorry sight to behold. Of the original 180 plates that had formed the Akhtar System, only about half remained. The frame itself had taken significant damage; in his concern for his commander's safety, Jin hadn't noticed how many hits he had let slip through his barrier. The left leg looked like it had been chewed by a massive beast and the right arm was barely hanging on. It would take a long time to repair, but the machine had done everything Jin had asked of it and more; it deserved to be brought back to full glory eventually if it survived past today.

In contrast, the Ahura Gnis hadn't taken much damage at all. The main reason was that it was the most heavily armored mech ever built on Altair. Much of the "damage" it had taken was superficial; the burning paint on its surface was the cause of most of the smoke Jin had seen. Soot covered a good portion of its surface, marring the white surface even more. Aside from those cosmetic effects, it looked to be perfectly battle-ready.

"Jin Muso," one soldier said as he threw the boy a short salute. "The Headmistress would like for you to return to the command room."

Jin nodded to show that he had heard and gave Izumo and Alicia one short parting glance before running towards the entrance to the academy.

-o-

"You're back," Instructor Dantes said as soon as Jin entered the room. "Good. How's the commander doing?"

The command center hadn't changed much during Jin's absence. An entirely new shift of workers was now at the computers monitoring the battle, but besides that, everything was the same. Yunoha ran forwards and hugged him, a gesture he returned. The other pilots remaining in the room smiled knowingly, but Jin didn't care that they saw.

"I don't know," Jin admitted. "That revelation hit him pretty hard."

"What about your own machine?"

"It's badly damaged. A lot of its offensive power has been depleted. I'd estimate it at about 60% combat efficiency now, maybe a little less since I didn't get a chance to inspect it fully," Jin replied.

Instructor Dantes cursed. "It looks like Cayenne and the others are having a hard time of it too."

Over on the large screen, Jin could see what he meant. The Gepard had been reduced to using hit-and-run harrying tactics due to the sheer difference in numbers. The flow of enemy machines exiting the gate didn't seem to be slowing down much at all either. The anti-air emplacements in Neo-Kowloon were helping out, but they would run out of ammunition soon at the current rate they were firing at. That was why the supervisors in charge of building up the city's defenses had wanted more beam weaponry; solid state ammunition had a tendency to run out when you most needed it.

"It would be great if someone else could pilot the Ahura Gnis and back them up," the instructor lamented.

Jin frowned. "Is that all?" he asked quietly.

"What was that?" Donar Dantes asked, too far away to hear clearly.

"Is that all you see in Commander Izumo? Another military resource? After all he's done for you and Neo-DEAVA?"

The teacher gave him a hard stare. He answered, "I'm concerned for him as well, but the fact of the matter is that we're in the middle of a major crisis right now. The safety of the students is my top priority."

"Then what the hell are you doing in here while your students are out on the battlefield risking their lives for the sake of their friends?" Jin replied angrily. Yunoha pulled on his sleeve, trying to calm him down.

"Someone needs to make the decisions," he answered back somewhat angrily.

"Oh? Isn't that convenient?" Jin countered. "I'm pretty sure that the Headmistress and the Supreme Commander are the only ones that make the calls around here. You're just hiding behind everyone else!"

Jin had very little experience with being angry. He preferred cold logic; emotional outbursts were more Kagura's style. He knew that he was only using the instructor as a convenient focal point for blame and that the man didn't really deserve to be reprimanded, but seeing Izumo in that state, a man he had admired like a father since he was a child, Jin couldn't help but feel lost and looking for something—someone—to pin the blame on. He hadn't meant to go this far, but there was no use trying to take back his words now.

"Now listen here, you—" Donar Dantes began, sounding dangerously cold.

"Enough!"

The Headmistress' voice interrupted their argument. The young-looking leader stood up for the first time since Jin had entered the room. She furrowed her brows and tapped her finger on the table in front of her.

"We have more important things to worry about than childish blame games right now, Jin-kun," she said. Instructor Dantes nodded, agreeing with her.

"Nevertheless, you raise an excellent point. We as your leaders and your protectors must sometimes do so from the front-lines," she continued, causing the male teacher to take a step back in surprise. "Element change! Switch out Cayenne for Instructor Dantes and Malloy for Suomi-sensei! As for Sazanka—I will be taking the field."

Both the teachers protested, of course. Not for their own sake, but for the sake of their counterpart, and for the Headmistress. In the end, Headmistress Crea's stoic silence and passive stare won over and they walked over to the teleporters grudgingly.

A brief glow filled the seats of the teleporters and moments later, the forms of the two teachers and the headmistress were replaced by three very tired looking students. Of the three, only Cayenne left his chair, the other two reclining and panting for air. The three had done everything that was asked of them without complaint and risked their lives for the safety of their comrades. They deserved a long break.

On the screen, the Gepard shuffled about as the new pilots adjusted and got used to the controls. Their faces appeared in hexagon-shaped panels as they re-established communications with the command room.

"It's been a long time since I've piloted," Donar noted. "How nostalgic."

"Enemy numbers have exceeded 50 units," a technician within the command center warned.

Indeed, a dark "cloud" was forming over the horizon near the dimension gate as the enemy units regrouped. The Aquarion turned to face them, brandishing both of its guns. It had all the appearance of a last stand; one lone soldier standing up against the enemy onslaught, determined to take out as many of them before he perished.

"Suomi, please create magnetic fields along the barrel of the guns like we discussed," Instructor Dantes said calmly, mentally noting where each enemy was on relative to his position.

The female instructor concentrated, using her power which was augmented further by the Aquarion. "Just what are you planning, Donar?" she asked between clenched teeth; she would get her answer soon.

Arcs of electricity began running along the barrel of the Gepard's twin rifles. Smiling grimly, Donar Dantes pulled the triggers.

In the distant past, scientists had observed that it was possible to use electric rails coupled with properly oriented magnetic fields to accelerate a projectile made of an electrically conductive material. It was a rather simple concept and came to be known by the name "railgun." The amount of electricity required to power a railgun of any military value was enormous; almost impractical considering the operating cost-to-destruction ratio. Coupled with how quickly the rails eroded away from continued use, and the idea of the railgun was scrapped in favor of more conventional weaponry.

The Aquarion rendered most of those concerns irrelevant. Donar Dantes, using his Element power, was able to generate more than enough energy required to fire a projectile at 10 km/s. Suomi Conebi could fix a magnetic field relative to the guns so that no adjustment was necessary. In addition, the Aquarion's weapon systems were durable enough to withstand continued use without too much risk of melting down.

An inverted triangle appeared in the middle of the command center's large viewing screen. Emblazoned across it were the words Rail-Machine Gunner. Jin could only gape in astonishment as projectiles that seemed to ignite the very air erupted from the barrels of the Gepard's twin guns and collided with the massed enemy group. The kinetic energy behind each bullet was high enough that many tore through their first target and either crippled or took out additional units behind it.

"Ooook-," Andy said appreciatively. "Note to self, don't ever piss off both Instructor Dantes and Suomi-sensei at the same time."

Silently, Jin agreed with the other boy.

* * *

Alicia Sora sat on the grass next to her husband. For the past fifteen minutes, he had not moved; if it wasn't for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and the occasional blink, one could have mistaken him for a corpse. Over by her side was an old laptop, relaying information from the command center to her.

She ran her fingers through Izumo's hair like she used to in the old days. He had borne so many burdens in her absence; she wished she had been there to share them. As they sat, Alicia started humming to him, partly to calm her own nerves. It might have been her imagination, but her husband relaxed a little.

The two stayed like this for about five minutes, after which Izumo began to stir. He sat up as if he had just awakened and turned around slowly to regard Alicia. He had a grim sort of look on his face, one that clearly said he was holding back a flood of emotions.

"How long has it been?" he asked softly.

"Not too long," Alicia answered. She kept her answer simple but unspecific, not wanting to burden him with more details just yet.

"The exact amount of time, please."

Alicia hesitated, but then answered honestly.

"Almost half an hour," her husband mused, furrowing his brows. His shoulders slumped, and he sighed in a dejected manner. "I suppose I should count myself lucky to be alive, but perhaps it would have been better if Jin had just left me."

Alicia couldn't believe that the man she loved, who had always taken on everything with fierce determination, would say something like that. He must be struggling with what came about as a result of his actions even more than she had thought. Now that she thought about it, how could he not? The system that his people depended upon to survive had been what was slowly killing his world. In ignorance, he had continued to believe in that system.

"I should have made a connection between the Ianthe's construction and Altair's lingering death," Izumo said. "After all, it wasn't too long after it became operational that the first signs of the 'Curse of Eve' appeared."

"You can't blame yourself for everything, dear," Alicia replied. "I'm sure that—."

"You weren't there to see the look in his eyes," he interrupted.

"Whose eyes?"

Izumo sighed, eyes taking on a sad cast, "The man leading the enemy forces. He was—my old mentor. Hizen Hiro; that was his name. When my mother first proposed building the Ianthe, he was the only one who objected to implementing the plan. We overrode his protests and went ahead with the construction anyways. He—has every right to blame me for what happened as a result."

A voice called out from the laptop by Alicia's hand. Straining her ears she could only make out something about "multiple enemy contacts" and "Neo-Venice." Instantly fearing the worst for her two children, she turned to Izumo and declared, "We need to go help them."

"They've grown enough to take care of themselves," Izumo replied, his eyes dull and unreflective. "They'd be better off without someone like me in their lives—interfering."

Alicia sighed, rather disappointed that her husband was choosing to wallow in self pity. She knew he needed time to reflect, but to her, the safety of her sons was paramount. She made a choice, the opposite of the one she had made a decade earlier; help her two sons first before helping her husband work out his problems. Hiking up her dress, she began the climb back up the ladder into the Ahura Gnis, fully intending to pilot it to where her sons were battling.

"What are you—?" Izumo asked, not moving to stop her.

"I'm doing what you refuse to do," she snapped back, perhaps a little more harshly than she had intended. Her husband looked rather taken aback. "Regardless of what you think they think of you, they're still _our_ children. We need to help them when they need us."

Alicia sat down at the unfamiliar controls. There didn't seem to be any security systems impeding her taking control of the unit. Rather, the systems of the Ahura Gnis seemed to recognize Alicia Sora as a valid occupant of the machine. She pressed a few buttons on the digital menu in front of her and powered up the mech. The cockpit sealed itself off automatically and a moment later, the on-board computer generated a full view of the outside environment, allowing Alicia to see what was going on.

"Alright, this shouldn't be too hard if they let high-school students take control of one," Alicia mumbled to herself. She took hold of the controls and pushed them forwards.

The Ahura Gnis took a step forwards and Alicia almost cheered in exultation. The second step proved far more difficult and, like a tree that had been hacked down by an axe, the proud white machine toppled down slowly and hit the ground with a thunderous crash. Alicia groaned. So much for piloting being an easy task.

She noted a blinking red light on the HUD; it looked important, so she reached out and tapped it, praying that it wasn't some form of self-destruct button. A few seconds later, she found herself throwing open the hatch to the Ahura Gnis and beckoning Izumo towards her frantically.

* * *

Zessica cursed and made the Aquarion Spada leap backwards, barely avoiding a short barrage of beams coming from the mass-produced Gnis units that had appeared suddenly from behind cover. At the same time, Mikono had flown her machine straight into the air, out of reach. The number of enemy units, including Mikono's, numbered 7. The Spada was best suited for single combat; they might need to switch to a different configuration.

"What did they do to you, Mikono-san?" Amata whispered. At least he was taking the revelation better than Kagura.

The red-haired boy had denied what he had seen as hard as he could for the first few moments, before desperately trying to exit his Vector in an attempt to reach Mikono. Mykage's taunting remarks only made things worse from there; try as the three pilots might, it was impossible to shut off that communication channel.

The Spada shook under another salvo. The enemy units were extraordinarily well-coordinated. In fact, it was not unlike a small swarm of bees protecting their queen from an invader. Fast as the Spada was, Zessica found herself relying more and more on the shield to defend. It was impossible to switch to the bow under these circumstances.

"We're not going to last long at this rate," Zessica called out, hoping one of her co-pilots had an idea.

"We need to switch forms, but in order to do that we need to buy some time," Amata replied. "The Gepard is probably the best one to use in this situation."

"Kagura, use your power of 'Reversal' to clear out the enemy for a few seconds, would you?"

No answer.

_Damn_, Zessica thought to herself. Mykage had probably planned for that from the start; if you can't win through a head-on confrontation, subterfuge was a good alternative. She wished the feather-haired man had been less successful in his machinations.

"Zessica, your power is 'Distortion', right?" Amata asked.

"Yes, you've seen it before, why?" Zessica replied, a little puzzled.

"If there's enough rubble on the ground, do you think you'd be able to form a dust storm?" he continued.

Zessica frowned. Moving that much air and accelerating it to a high velocity wasn't an easy task, but it should be possible in theory. "I'll try," she answered, focusing on "twisting" the atmosphere itself. Slowly, the wind picked up and a cloud of dust, dirt, and rubble rose into the air, lowering visibility to near zero.

"Alright," Zessica said tiredly, "now what?"

She was exhausted. Not only did the previous fight sap her ability to concentrate, but she had defended against a half-dozen enemy units simultaneously attacking from all angles for the past several minutes. On top of that, she had pushed her power to the limits and done something she would have thought impossible less than a month ago.

"Let's fall back and regroup," Amata said. "We need to get Kagura back into the fight if we want to stand a chance at getting Mikono-san back."

"After all this time, you still care for her that much?" Zessica asked, feeling a little pang of jealousy.

Amata looked at her apologetically. "Of course I still care for her. She's the first friend I've ever made and if it wasn't for my meeting her, I doubt I'd ever have been allowed to enter Neo-DEAVA. I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't try as hard as I can to take her back from Mykage's clutches. Meeting Apollo taught me a few things about the different types of caring that people feel. I care for her as a precious, irreplaceable friend, just like you do, Zessica. We owe it to her to do this."

Zessica sighed. "You've really gotten better with words since going to Altair, flyboy." Then with a smile, "I understand your sentiments perfectly, Amata. I'll trust everything to you and your feelings."

Amata nodded gratefully and then narrowed his eyes, focusing on using his power. The Spada lifted off its feet and rocketed backwards, using the dust-screen Zessica had created in order to avoid detection as it retreated to the outskirts of the city.

-o-

It would have been nice if Yunoha had been there to hide their Vectors, but the three pilots had to manage with that they had. They had found a spot where a fallen skyscraper had collapsed on top of a shorter building, creating a sort of canopy that should help hide them from aerial reconnaissance.

Zessica had just finished reporting back to the command center and went outside her vehicle to join the boys. Amata was crouched near Kagura, saying something that Zessica couldn't hear from where she was.

"Well, I have good news and bad news," Zessica said as she approached. "Which do you want first?"

"Save the good news for last," Amata requested. "I'd prefer an uplifting note at the end."

"Alright," Zessica replied. "The bad news is that we're not going to get reinforcements from Neo-DEAVA anytime soon since they have their hands full. The good news is that apparently, Mykage has grown bored of taunting us and finally closed that communication link."

"Right," Amata said slowly. "So now all we need to do is convince Kagura to try and save Mikono-san. Any ideas?"

"Did you try the obvious arguments already?"

"Yeah, he didn't budge. Her defection really hit him hard."

Zessica frowned. She wasn't particularly good at getting people to do what she wanted them to. Well, she could to some extent with the boys; but only in terms of small favors. Contrary to appearances, Zessica wasn't the type to manipulate others with her sex appeal; although she wouldn't mind it at all if _one_ particular boy was more susceptible to it. Unfortunately, she didn't have any suggestions for the current situation.

"Damn it all," Amata said, surprising Zessica with coarser language than she was used to hearing from him. "I didn't want to have to resort to this but—Actually, Zessica…would you mind going a bit further outside for a bit? You know, as a lookout?"

Clearly he didn't want her to see what his "last resort" was. Curious as Zessica was, she nodded and complied, climbing out over the debris to find a good vantage point. The dust from the small windstorm that Zessica had kicked up was beginning to settle and she could see small dots flying about in the air. Luckily, none were anywhere nearby, but she kept her head down just in case their sensors were sensitive enough to detect people from long-range.

From behind her, Zessica heard the sounds of shuffling feet, a few shouts, and a rather loud thump. She fought the urge to look back, and maintained her post for the next ten minutes without the end of a long moment's silence, Amata called her back inside. The two boys were an interesting sight to behold.

They had obviously had a scuffle, judging by the scrapes and bruises each bore. Amata was walking with a slight limp and Kagura had a cut lip. Their clothes were in slightly worse condition as well. Even accounting for the sudden increase in the quantity of dust and dirt on them, Zessica was certain that Amata's vest did not have a rip in the back and that Kagura's pants did not originally have a hole in the left knee.

"Did you two just do what I think you did?" Zessica asked, eyes narrowing. "Because we have enough on our hands without you two killing each other instead of the enemy."

"We weren't killing each other," Amata protested. "We were—"

"Communication between men does not always have to be done with words," Kagura said lightly, spitting out a little bit of blood onto the ground. "That wimp got his point across better than if he had tried a flowery speech about friendship and love."

Zessica looked from one boy to the other, fighting the urge to sigh at their idiocy. "Stupidest—language—ever," she declared, even as the two young men exchanged grins. "So, Kagura. Are you ready to go, or should I leave you two idiots here for a second round and rescue Mikono by myself?"

It wasn't a question that needed an answer. A minute later, the three Vectors rose up into the air as one.

"This time, I'm going to be the head," Kagura declared. It seemed that his "conversation" with Amata had helped him regain his confidence and with it, his brash attitude.

"No objections here," Amata replied.

Zessica frowned, "Wouldn't the Gepard be more appropriate for this fight though?"

Amata actually had the nerve to click his tongue at her. "He needs to be the one who handles this. We're here to support him when he needs us but ultimately, this is Kagura's battle to fight."

Zessica struggled hard to refrain from shouting out "Men!" in exasperation. Still, she saw some insane logic behind it all. Kagura was the one who wanted Mikono back more than anyone else; it went to reason that the Aquarion would perform best for him, responding to his will and desire.

The enemy had seen them approaching from far off and were in a constantly shifting formation. They fired on the Evol as it ran full speed towards them, but Kagura deflected each beam with a flick of the giant mech's wrists and a casual invocation of "Reverse!"

The Aquarion Evol continued its charge, jumping up and grabbing one enemy by the leg as it tried to ascend out of reach. Swinging it down to the ground, Kagura stomped down hard on the enemy's head, crushing it instantly. The machine twitched twice and lay still. Without pausing to confirm the kill, Kagura continued moving forwards.

* * *

The girl sat in her pilot's chair looking down upon the battlefield calmly. The Aquarion had just taken down one of her drones, but its loss was of no great significance. She could still stop it dead in its tracks easily if she so wished. With a wave of a hand, the remaining five units under her direct control swarmed about, firing on the Evol from all directions. The ranged weaponry proved ineffective against the mysterious power that emanated from the red, white, and gold machine; beams bounced back towards their points of origin as swiftly as they came.

She frowned; Mykage had told her that the reincarnation of Apollo would be too distraught to use his powers on this field of battle. It had been true for a time, but that seemed to have changed. She silently chastised herself for letting them retreat so easily. The girl rationalized her actions as the last gasps of the affection Sylvia had felt for Apollo, it would not happen again.

Apollo, who had abandoned her 12,000 years ago. She had been willing to join him within the Aquarion at the end of that final battle in Atlandia. Instead, he had left her behind to live and suffer without him. Worse still was Apollonius. He had avoided her despite her longing for him; "Apollo" of 12,000 years ago was not "Apollonius" of 24,000 years ago. The former Shadow Angel had ignored her wishes to be reunited with him in body and soul. Unforgivable.

Mykage had told her the truth. It had taken her a long time to accept it, but with the visions and memories granted by the feather of Shadow Angel Toma's faithful servant Otoha, Mikono had been forced to acknowledge that truth. Apollonius had no regrets in casting aside one love for another 24,000 years ago. It seemed that he had done so again 12,000 years ago, leaving her for no explained reason. Apollonius deserved to suffer for his infidelity and trickery.

The Aquarion had almost reached her now. It seemed that her drones were barely able to slow it down. It reared back and, judging by its posture, Mikono knew that it was about to throw a Mugen Punch at her. She sent her machine skywards, throwing a few glowing daggers back down at the enemy as she did so. Her attack was deflected, but bought her enough time to dodge the extended arm of the Aquarion long enough to force the pilot to retract it.

The two boys before her. Both had seemed to care for her at one point in time. The one from Vega; innocent and naïve, but strong when it counted most. She had once thought they had shared a mutual understanding, a bond that was known to both and strong enough to endure. Remembering how she had been left behind by him on Altair caused a spike of pain to erupt in her heart. Even worse was how it seemed he had found another during the time she had been captured. Infidelity of that sort…it reminded her of Apollonius. The girl clenched her teeth; both he and the green-haired harlot she had once called a friend would pay.

The red-haired boy from Altair. The girl had thought his devotion was stronger than that. But like the other, he had fled and left her behind even though he claimed to be her reincarnated love. And here he was again, trying to stop her from getting her righteous vengeance. Mykage had said that Kagura would be willing to kill her if it was necessary; judging by the seriousness of that last attack, that just might be correct.

The pilot of the Aquarion reached out and tried again. This time, the girl sent her drones to attack it as it prepared to throw the punch, fully expecting the Evol to dodge out of the way. It didn't. The Aquarion stood there, took the blows, and then shot its hand skywards again towards her. Looking at it closely now, the hand wasn't clenched into a fist at all. Although a little puzzled by this action, the girl had one of her drones close into melee range and knock the Aquarion to the ground. Due to the sudden shift in its position, the Mugen Attack missed yet again.

The battle continued in this fashion for some time, with the Aquarion getting back to its feet while under fire, rearing back for another Mugen Punch, and getting knocked down once more. The pilot refused to quit, getting up and trying again despite how unsightly he looked doing so. And as he did, the girl recalled an ancient memory.

In it, a boy pounded desperately against a barrier. On his side of the obstacle was an entire city's worth of people. Balanced against them on the other side was an old friend, someone to whom he owed everything to. But on the other side also lay a deadly enemy that the boy knew he could not defeat. Even knowing this, the boy refused to stop. That friend meant too much to him. The boy looked at her pleadingly and cried out in desperation. The face of the boy blurred and became the face of the Aquarion Evol which now looked skywards at her.

The girl flinched backwards. Brushing the back of her hand against her face, she was surprised to see that it came away wet.

_ "Tears?"_ she thought. "_Why now? I have to kill my feelings for Apollo—I need to—become strong and show them the folly of their ways!"_

And as her machine responded to her will, the earth heaved and split apart like a seed giving rise to new life. From the depths of the planet, a golden light rose into the air, blinding everyone in the area momentarily. When the radiance subsided, the girl saw a darkened form hovering in the air in a fetal position. Although the surface was covered in black, she thought she could see beyond the exterior to a golden core. In her mind, a heavenly choir rejoiced at the sight.

And—from a communication screen within her Cherubim, she saw Mykage's smile grow deeper. For the first time since she had known him, it seemed…genuine. For some reason, the very sight sent chills down her spine.

* * *

*notes- A slightly longer chapter this time around, but it was needed to set up the climax. To those of you who were wondering why I didn't just include a scene with Amata working Kagura out of his BSoD, I have this answer: I feel that sometimes it's better to give enough information to _imply_ something without making all the details known so that the audience's imagination fills in the blanks and generates something that goes beyond the realm of a few paragraphs. Not a technique you want to overuse, but in moderation I find it to be effective.

Alicia tries to pilot and fails miserably; for those of you who watched _Macross Frontier_ I'm sure you weren't too surprised by the parallel there. The teachers get to do something useful for once; one thing I always thought was strange was why the "adults" never got to do anything worthwhile in the actual show. This was a bit of an attempt to rectify that. There's some setup for the finale of the current conflict. I'm planning on making the next confrontation the final battle since there's no point in dragging things out. Other than that, one last major thing; that being I'll be going on vacation starting at the end of this week. I might be able to update sometime during my trip, but if not, I hope you'll understand. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Preview title (tentative, of course)

**Chapter 19: Eye of the Storm**


	19. Chapter 19: What it Means to be Saved

**Chapter 19: What it Means to be Saved**

Izumo had been sitting and pondering for a long time. As a leader of men, he knew that when an obstacle appeared, there were a myriad of ways to handle it. Someone like Mykage might plot and manipulate others to avoid getting his own hands dirty, but Izumo himself preferred to tackle obstructions head-on and conquer them through his own efforts. But, despite his experience in such matters, he had no idea how to deal with the situation before him now.

His mind wandered in circles, seeking answers that did not want to be discovered. His determination, once unshakable, now trembled at the horrible truth his former mentor had revealed. Izumo couldn't even bring himself to deny the veracity of the older man's accusations; the raw emotion in Hizen Hiro's eyes had been proof enough. What meaning did his life hold now? Now, as everything he had fought for and believed in collapsed around him, what was left as a reminder that Izumo Kamurogi once walked this world? His children? They barely acknowledged him and for good reason. His wife? His decisions had led to the greatest misfortune of her life. He had to accept it. Izumo Kamurogi had no solutions to the problems that plagued both worlds; Altair and Vega would be lucky if he didn't create any additional problems for either.

He was so engrossed in thought that he was barely aware of his wife climbing the ladder and entering the Ahura Gnis. It wasn't until his personal machine came crashing to the ground that he was startled out of his reverie. However, what was most surprising was how frantically she was calling for him to come to her. He didn't want to get up, but seeing the look on her face, he summoned whatever strength he had left and went.

"What is it?" he asked, seeing the mixture of concern, fear, and hope on her features. She answered by pointing inside.

Curious, Izumo stepped into the cockpit where he was greeted by the faces of the two guards he had brought with him to Vega when he had been searching for Jin. That was a time that seemed like it had been an age ago; the two before him were no longer part of his personal guard, but leaders in their own right.

"You two—," Izumo began. His voice sounded as strong as ever, masking the turmoil he felt within.

"Commander," Zwei interrupted, something he never would have thought to do before coming to Vega. "We heard everything in the transmission between you and former Captain Hizen."

When it became apparent that Izumo wasn't going to respond, he continued, "And I wanted to let you know that we still support you, no matter what."

Although the sentiment raised his spirits a little, Izumo was more shocked than anything else. Had their positions been reversed, the Commander suspected that he would not have been as loyal. All he could manage to respond with was a barely audible, "Why?"

Zwei hesitated for a brief moment, leading Ein to speak for the first time. "Because you've always supported _us_," he answered. "Not us as individuals, maybe, but no one can say that Commander Kamurogi did not place Altair's interests first or that he worked less hard than the rest of us to ensure Altair's survival."

"But—the Ianthe was the cause of everything…"

"Who cares about all that crap!" Ein shouted, causing Alicia to jump and managing to startle even Izumo with his outburst. "The Ianthe was at fault? Did you know that at the time? Did any of us know that back then? From what I understand, only Mykage knew, and the bastard chose to keep it a secret."

The young man must have been extremely angry if he had left out any honorific when saying Mykage's name. Even when he had found out that Mykage was going to be his enemy, Ein had still referred to the man as "Mykage-sama" both out of respect and habit.

Zwei continued where Ein left off, giving the other soldier some time to catch his breath. "There's also the fact that we were too reliant on the Ianthe. Even if we knew that it was the cause of everything, what then? Our entire infrastructure was dependent on the Ianthe as an energy source; we wouldn't have been able to just get rid of it overnight."

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "You're trying to use logic with an emotionally distraught man?"

Izumo placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's the sentiment that counts," he murmured. Then, turning to face his former subordinates, he added, "Even so, if I hadn't been so blind to the possibility that the Ianthe could have been harmful…"

Ein gave an exaggerated sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't we just cut to the chase and show him, Zwei? Look, Commander—none of us blame you at all. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much effort you put into something, you're still human, you'll make mistakes. Sure, the consequences of your mistakes might be several orders of magnitude over what the rest of us have to deal with but the idea's the same." He looked Izumo in the eye and then continued, "Making mistakes is human, but the important thing is to pick yourself off the ground, dust yourself off, and get to work dealing with the consequences of your mistakes. We're all behind you, Commander. We believe…no, we _know_ that you're the one who can, and will, be able to do this."

At those words and what appeared to be Ein fiddling around with a button on his transmitter, Izumo's cockpit filled with the faces of the people he had helped rescue during Operation Altair. There were too many to count, but a small window at the bottom corner of his HUD indicated that there were 355 open windows on his monitor; one for every person who had followed him from Altair on that day. They were all nodding at Ein's words and smiling encouragingly.

"All of you—," Izumo said softly, before lowering his eyes and meeting the gaze of his wife. Without looking back up, he pressed a button and shut off all communications. He then pulled his wife all the way into the cockpit where she sat upon his lap, looking at him questioningly.

"Is it alright to do that? Just cut off the feed like that?" she asked.

"They'll understand," Izumo noted. His men knew him well enough that they would know what a hurriedly cut-off transmission meant; their commander was back…and he had work to do.

"What now?"

Izumo smiled down at Alicia warmly. "Now?" he replied, determination spreading throughout his body, "I start fixing my mistakes, starting with how I've been avoiding our sons."

The Ahura Gnis soared once more into the skies above Neo-DEAVA. The white emperor had made its triumphant return.

* * *

The enemy just wouldn't stay down. No matter how many times it was beaten down, the Aquarion refused to stop trying to reach her. Its movements didn't seem hostile at all, but the girl sensed that its pilot threatened what she believed in. She had to remain strong…she didn't want to feel the pain of being abandoned again.

Apollonius, Sirius, Apollo, Cayenne, and finally, Amata and Kagura. It seemed as her destiny was to be left behind by the men she cared about. She didn't want that—she would break free from that cycle no matter what. If Apollo's reincarnations stood in her way…so be it! She would break open a path to freedom even if she had to borrow Mykage's powers to do so. Anything would be better than falling in love once more only to be let down once again.

The Evol extended its arm towards her once again, more rapidly this time. Instead of heading directly towards her, this time it battered her drones aside first, smashing them into buildings where they lay prone. The girl tried to move them, but they didn't respond. The Aquarion's hand stretched towards her, fingers spread open as if they were trying to grab her. The girl gritted her teeth and sent her Cherubim skywards, flinging a pair of dagger-like blades downwards as she went.

Both projectiles were deflected to the side before they even made contact with the Aquarion and the machine's hand raced to catch her. Both the hand and the Cherubim were ascending at the same rate, so it shouldn't be able to reach her. Or it shouldn't have caught her, except the girl had forgotten one critical fact.

She had taken off her helmet earlier. Normally that wouldn't have been an issue, but her cockpit had been breached earlier by the Spada's blade. That meant that she was completely exposed to the effects of the thinning atmosphere as well as the physical stress of ascending too quickly. Gasping for air, the pace of the Cherubim's climb slowed to a halt as the girl fumbled about, trying to retrieve her helmet. With a great shudder, the right hand of the Aquarion Evol finally caught up to her machine, latching on to the gash that had been cut into the cockpit.

The sudden movement coupled with her unsteadiness caused her to stumble forwards and collide with a finger of the Evol. The back of her head hit something hard and she felt herself tumbling head over heels into the darkness.

-o-

She came to in an unfamiliar place. It was an elegant room, with a fireplace that had several pictures above the mantelpiece, expensive-looking furniture, and suits of armor lining one wall. She looked about frantically for some clue as to where she was. Although the many antiques neatly placed about the room suggested that it belonged to a wealthy person, she could see no sign of whoever owned the place, nor could she determine her location. The girl decided to take a look at the photos atop the mantelpiece when she was interrupted by the voice of a girl behind her.

"Who are you? And who gave you permission to enter Onii-sama's room?"

It was a somewhat haughty voice, one that expected obedience, but wasn't quite authoritative enough to compel it. The girl turned to face the speaker. Seated on a chair looking at her quizzically was a young girl about her own age. She had blonde hair that was tied up into two circular loops at the back of her head. The girl wore a sleeveless pink and white top that flared out at the waist; open at the front, it looked almost like a skirt. Underneath that, she had on short white pants. She also wore long boots that stretched up about a third of her thigh. However, the most striking article she wore was a silver armband that covered her left forearm.

"I'll ask you again. Who are you and who gave you permission to enter this room?" she asked again, sounding decidedly less friendly the second time around.

Mikono paused to consider her options, but decided that telling the truth wouldn't be harmful. "I'm Suzushiro Mikono—not that the name means anything to me anymore," she muttered.

The expression on the other girl's face softened somewhat. "I see—," she said before waving at one of the chairs, a gesture that clearly meant that Mikono should sit. "And what are you doing here?"

"I—I don't know," she admitted.

The other girl smiled wryly, "Well now. That would be a problem now, wouldn't it?" She paused before adding, "I suppose it would be rude not to introduce myself. _I_ am Silvia de Alisia."

The name resonated within Mikono and she found herself replying in a puzzled tone, "Y-you're—me?"

Silvia looked at her with a puzzled expression before answering, "I suppose you could say that. Though to be correct, it's more like _you're_ me. I guess even that wouldn't be right, reincarnation's rather strange. I mean, I'm not exactly Celiane either so—."

Seeing Mikono's baffled expression, the blonde girl hurriedly added, "Just forget all that! What I mean is that even though you're my reincarnation, you're not me…if that makes any sense."

Mikono nodded slowly at that, not really understanding what her past self was talking about.

"So…that brings us back to the issue of why you're here," Silvia continued. "But you said you didn't have any idea, so let's go with a different question. What were you doing before you ended up in this place?"

"I was fighting with Apollo—or his reincarnation, rather," Mikono answered bluntly. She didn't add her reasons for doing so.

Silvia gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed her temples. "So not even death and rebirth could cure that idiot's battle-crazed, clueless, rude, and abrasive personality?" Blushing a little, she added, "Well, he does have his good points too…I guess."

It seems that her past self was misunderstanding what Mikono meant by "fighting." The girl decided to elaborate.

"So you mean that you're actually fighting against him? What for?" Silvia asked, confused.

"To break free of this cycle of abandonment," Mikono replied. "I'm tired of being left behind and alone. I'd do anything to be rid of this—fate."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course."

"Well then, best of luck to you."

"What!?"

Mikono was rather startled to hear Silvia dismiss her declaration so casually. After all, the love her past self had for Apollo was legendary; the story had managed to survive 12,000 years, changed slightly over time, but still recognizable. Somehow, the other girl's answer seemed—strange, if not wholly out of character.

Silvia shrugged her shoulder and repeated herself. "Best of luck to you. What you choose to do isn't my concern. My story ended 12,000 years ago. I loved Apollo, true, but as you have yet to learn, what we choose to do with our lives isn't determined by who we once were. So—if that's really what you want to do, I have no right to argue."

Mikono was left with her mouth hanging open slightly, unable to reply.

"As for me," Silvia continued, placing a hand over her chest, "I'm just happy that Apollo kept his promise to meet again. It's a nice ending to my tale."

"But—he abandoned you in the end!" Mikono protested. "Just like Apollonius did before that!"

"Abandoned?" Silvia tilted her head a bit and frowned. "I suppose you could say that from a certain point of view. But he had his reasons for doing so, and I never blamed him for doing it. Apollo knew what he was doing. It was a hard choice for him, but he did it for my sake and the sake of his friends."

"Even so, I don't want this anymore!" Mikono screamed. "I'm sick of being left alone!"

She drew herself into a fetal position, hands wrapped around her head as she sobbed. Memories flooded into her, mostly those from her childhood when her family had essentially shut her in the house, away from contact with the outside world out of embarrassment at how she had shown no signs of Element abilities. She remembered how coldly her brother had treated her prior to entering Neo-DEAVA. Most of all, she remembered how she had been left behind on Altair, believing that Amata and Kagura would come to save her; they never did. Instead, she had been left in the darkness for what seemed an eternity, accompanied only by her own thoughts and, occasionally, Mykage's mocking voice.

A moment later, she found herself wrapped up in something warm. Blinking back her tears, she turned her head upwards to find that Silvia was there, hugging her. The other girl gently patted her on the head.

"It's alright," she whispered. "You're not alone. Listen—can't you hear it? The voice of the one who's trying so desperately to reach you?"

Mikono found herself calming down a bit.

"As one whose power is Connection you should know in your heart…that even if you're apart from one another physically, you are not alone," Silvia said softly. "Unless you run away from everything, _he_ will always try and reach you. That's just the sort of person he is."

The melancholy in the other girl's voice made it clear which "he" she was referring to.

The room shook, causing Mikono to jump to her feet. The walls started crumbling away and the floor began to shatter, breaking off at the edge of the room and slowly approaching the center.

"I suppose this is the limit," Silvia noted quietly. "Even though it was only for a short time, I'm glad I got to meet you, Suzushiro Mikono. Remember—your path is yours alone to decide; don't ever let anyone else tell you otherwise. But, when someone is trying so desperately to reach out to you—as the one whose power is Connection shouldn't you repay his efforts?"

The floor underneath Mikono disappeared into nothingness, causing her to drop through. As she fell, she heard one parting statement from her past incarnation.

"Don't run away anymore—I believe in you. You're strong enough to break the cycle of unhappiness."

* * *

Time seemed to slow considerably for Kagura as Mikono's form fell out from the Cherubim and plummeted towards the ground. He had been elated for the split second when he had finally managed to reach her, but now, that joy was replaced almost completely with panic. His mind raced to figure out what he should do. Catch her with the Aquarion? No, too risky, Kagura wasn't sure he would be able to do it without injuring her in his current state. Use Reversal? She was out of range right now and Kagura wouldn't put it past Mykage to interfere. Only one option then…

"What the heck are you doing?" Zessica shouted over the intercom.

Well, it was understandable that she'd be a little put off, considering Kagura had disengaged the Aquarion's Union without letting either of his co-pilots know beforehand.

"What I need to," Kagura shouted back, not really caring what she thought of his actions. The only thing that mattered to him right now was getting to Mikono on time.

The Vector responded to his thoughts, swiftly closing the distance to the falling girl. Kagura opened the hatch to the cockpit and prepared to grab her, but as he did, the Cherubim above him came back to life, seemingly moving without the need for a pilot.

"Amata! Zessica! I'm going to need you to get its attention and draw it off!" he yelled. He banked sharply in the Vector to avoid a downwards swipe from the Cherubim, almost hurling himself out of the vehicle in doing so. In answer to his plea, the other two Vectors flew in to support him, flanking the enemy and opening fire.

The supporting fire didn't seem to affect the enemy at all. Instead of veering off to deal with Amata and Zessica first, it continued pursuing Kagura, prompting him to perform a series of evasive maneuvers that brought him further away from Mikono. Kagura cursed and turned about, barely avoiding two more swipes with the help of his Element power. He was only a few dozen meters away from Mikono when his Vector stopped dead in the air, causing him to hurtle out of the cockpit. His honed reflexes saved him from falling over the side; Kagura managed to grab onto the edge of the cockpit in the nick of time. There was a downside to doing so though; Kagura screamed in pain as he felt his right shoulder dislocate and he almost let go of the edge from the agony.

Turning around, Kagura saw to his dismay that the enemy had managed to catch him, stabbing a knife-like blade into the back of his Vector.

"Well, well. If it isn't Kagura…"

A mocking voice came out of nowhere. Moments later, Mykage materialized in front of Kagura, prompting him to get to his feet and adopt a defensive stance.

"Mykage! You bastard! What did you do to Mikono?" Kagura growled aggressively.

"Do?" the figure chuckled. "I didn't need to _do_ much. You see, I've found that human beings are foolish creatures indeed. That was why the Shadow Angels considered them inferior beings. You can barely comprehend your own simple emotions…that much has not changed at all in 24,000 years."

Kagura considered tackling Mykage before remembering the man didn't seem to have a corporeal form. A pity, because the smug look on the priest-like figure's face practically demanded a good beat-down.

"It really didn't take much effort to manipulate her fears and insecurities—her precious family and friends saw to it that the poor girl had plenty of those to choose from," Mykage remarked with a trace of a smile. "But even I was surprised by how well it all turned out. It seems a great love can give birth to a strong hatred just as easily in humans as it could in a Shadow Angel! Interesting, isn't it?"

Ignoring the gloating figure before him, Kagura looked over the side of his craft for Mikono. In the time since Mykage had appeared, she had dropped a considerable distance. He couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Ignoring Mykage was probably not a smart decision, but Kagura had no other choice. He ran towards the front of the craft and jumped off like a professional diver.

From behind him, he hear Mykage remark, "My my, what a hasty child."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mykage's form disappear and the Cherubim come back to life again. It hurled the incapacitated Vector off to the side and moved to follow him downwards. Before it could catch up however, Amata's Vector swooped in from the side and rammed the enemy machine, carrying it off and out of range.

"I owe you one! Thanks!" Kagura shouted as he turned back towards Mikono. The only reason he was so open with his appreciation was because he knew the other reincarnation of Apollo wouldn't be able to hear him.

Kagura invoked his power to slow Mikono's rate of descent. It worked, and within moments, he was close enough to reach her.

"Mikono! Grab my hand!" he yelled as the air rushed by them.

The girl he loved stared back at him blankly. It didn't look like she could hear him, so Kagura called out again. This time, she shook her head, looking as if she was clearing her thoughts.

"Ka—Kagura-kun?" she mouthed, her voice lost to the wind.

"Grab my hand! Hurry!" Kagura repeated. The ground was rushing up at them at a frightening pace.

She stretched her hand out meekly and then drew it back hesitantly. Then, she reached out again. This time, Kagura grabbed hold of it before she could withdraw it, causing her to flinch visibly. He ignored that for now because their imminent collision with the ground was a more pressing matter. Pulling Mikono in close and ignoring the pain in his right shoulder, he focused every fiber of his being into slowing their descent. His power seemed slow to respond and when it did, it seemed…weak; not surprising considering how much he had used it today. Kagura prayed that it would be enough for this one last time.

Twisting about so that he would hit the ground first, Kagura embraced Mikono and closed his eyes. He waited for the inevitable impact—

-o-

"-gura-kun! Kagura-kun! Don't leave me—please!"

The boy groaned in response to the voice that was coming from somewhere on top of him. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Mikono's face hovering over him, concern etched on every feature. All the events that had occurred recently seemed to rush into his head at once and he sat upright in a hurry, nearly doubling over as a spike of pain shot through his shoulder.

"Gah!" Kagura cried out, causing Mikono's expression to become even more worried. Then, shaking it off and trying to brush off the agony as nothing so that he wouldn't trouble her further, he said, "How long was I out for?"

Seeing that he was alright, Mikono buried her head in his shoulder (the left one luckily) and sobbed. "Only a moment," she whispered. Then, in a quieter voice, she repeated apologized.

Kagura didn't know what to say. He had never had to comfort someone before and he almost wished that someone would come along and give him some advice on how to do it. So instead, he just sat there and placed a hand on her back.

"I thought you were dead," Mikono sniffed. "I thought—you left again…to someplace where I wouldn't be able to reach you."

"It's alright," Kagura found himself saying. "I'm here now. And I won't ever let you go. Not again. Not ever. You don't need to worry."

His words seemed to calm her down considerably and she pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You mean that?" she asked softly.

It was a question that didn't need an answer in words. The expression on his face was more than enough for her. He bent his head towards her and her lips parted slightly in response, ready to meet his own. As if in response to their mutual feelings, the Legendary Aquarion, which had been hovering in the skies, forgotten, burst into a golden glow that showered over them. As warm as the sun itself, Kagura could feel the emotions from 12,000 years ago resonating with his own. It was joy, it was bliss, it was everything he had ever wanted, wrapped up in one glorious instant; ecstasy could only describe a smallest fraction of what he was experiencing.

The moment was lost, however, with the appearance of the Cherubim in the sky above them. Mercilessly, it raised a bladed hand over its head. Kagura pulled Mikono to the side and covered her protectively, shouting "Reverse!"

His power refused to activate. It seemed that he had finally reached his limits. Time seemed to crawl as the enemy's weapon descended upon them. A cruel harbinger of death. Kagura found himself despairing; he had finally managed to reunite with the one he loved and _this_ had to happen? It wasn't right—this...was too ridiculous to be true.

A barrage of gunfire pushed the Cherubim back mid-swing, the noise nearly deafening Kagura. Looking behind himself in surprise, he saw the Aquarion Gepard. Or rather, he saw the Gepard's upper body. Everything below the chest was nonexistent; impossible as it seemed, it was a one-man Union.

"Amata?" he remarked in surprise.

"Stay away from them!" Amata's voice yelled out as though it was coming through loudspeakers. In reality, Mikono's powers were in play, allowing them to hear the upper-most level of his thoughts.

"Ohoh? So you've learned to Union by yourself once again, whelp?" Mykage's voice replied calmly. "Perhaps I should eliminate you first."

The Cherubim turned to face the Gepard. It didn't take long for it to drive Amata's unit back; although it was impressive that the other boy had managed to create a solo Union, it was clear that he was not used to piloting alone. Zessica's supporting fire allowed him to gain some distance when he needed it, but eventually, the Cherubim managed to close in and hurl the Gepard to the ground. Amata tried to pick his machine up off the ground, but the Cherubim pinned him to the earth with a pair of blades.

"Farewell," Mykage gloated, savoring each syllable. Kagura could almost see the twisted smile growing on the man's face.

It was a near repeat of what had happened only moments earlier. The Cherubim raised a blade over its foe and brought it down. And again, it was interrupted. This time, Kagura saw everything as it happened.

A white streak descended, faster even than the Cherubim's blade and placed itself between the Gepard and Mykage's machine. Then, almost casually, the interloper stretched out and pushed the Cherubim back, knocking it to the ground. That was when Kagura got his first good look at the new arrival.

Almost pure white and clad in a six-fringed cloak that spread out like wings. A golden crown atop its head. The machine was a little battle-scarred, but it was unmistakably the Ahura Gnis. The personal mech of Izumo Kamurogi. Amata's father. _His_ father.

The eyes of the Ahura Gnis seemed to glow vengefully as it looked down upon Mykage's Cherubim.

* * *

*notes: Hard to believe it's been more than half a month since I last updated this thing. I hope it was worth the wait for all of you. Being on vacation gave me plenty of time to think over how I wanted to wrap up this story and in doing so, I once again managed to have enough material for this chapter that the preview title ended up not really fitting with events. Hence the title change again.

Mikono's back and hopefully stronger for her experiences. She doesn't get to show it yet, but give her time. Throwing off three months in captivity with Mykage as a jailor isn't an easy task. Izumo's working out what's most important to him and that side-story is going to wrap up in the near future. I've pretty much planned out how I want the finale of this fic to go and based on where this chapter ended, I can say with a high degree of certainty that the next chapter should have a surprise for you as readers. As for whether it's a surprise of the happy sort or one of the nasty little ones Mykage seems to be fond of, I won't say for now. Speaking of which, Mykage gets to ruin Kagura and Mikono's moment in this chapter, but that isn't to say they won't have others.

Amata gets a few moments to be cool, but I feel kind of bad for neglecting Zessica. Well, it hasn't gotten as bad as how little time Shrade's been getting in this fic (which is completely unintentional—mostly.) I'll admit I suck at writing in the musical analogies he uses so frequently, but the real reason I've been avoiding writing him in is because he just doesn't fit in too well with the events that have been occurring so far. On the bright side, less time in the Aquarion means his incurable cough of death won't act up. Alright, enough rambling from me. Title preview which I _will_ be using, no tentativeness about it this time around.

**Chapter 20: Sailing in the Dark**


	20. Chapter 20: Sailing in the Dark

**Chapter 20: Sailing in the Dark**

On Altair, everyone knew Izumo Kamurogi as their stoic leader. Impassive, always in control. That wasn't the real Izumo at all. Ever since he was a child, he had rarely been able to express his emotions openly. It wasn't that he didn't want to smile or laugh or cry, but that he was virtually incapable of doing so. That had started to change when he had met Alicia Sora on a routine mission to Vega. He never quite lost the ability to mask his feelings beneath a calm façade, but that was a public face, a tool of his trade.

Right now, Izumo maintained that steely exterior, but inside, he seethed. Rage at what Mykage had done to Altair. Anger at what the man had done to his people. But mostly, fury at how his former ally had nearly killed his sons. He gripped the controls of the Ahura Gnis until his knuckles turned white, looking down upon his foe.

A communications window opened on his HUD, revealing the face of the man he simultaneous most and least wanted to see. Most, because beating the pulp out of him would be more satisfying if he had a visual. Least, for obvious reasons.

"If it isn't Kamurogi-dono," Mykage calmly said, mockery quite evident in his voice. "I suppose your presence here means that Hizen-kun failed to make as much an impact on your psyche as I wanted?"

"You're trying to provoke me into doing something rash, Mykage," Izumo replied coldly. "It's not going to work. I've had it with you and your machinations. You're going to pay for what you've done, here and now."

"That's quite the scary expression you have on there," Mykage responded calmly. "Are you sure that side of you is something you want your dear wife and children to see? Why not be more cheerful on this joyous occasion?"

Izumo sent the Ahura Gnis running towards the downed enemy and kicked it into the air brutally. "Joyous?" he growled.

The Cherubim recovered in mid-air, flipping once before stabilizing in a dramatic pose, arms outstretched and head looking towards the heavens.

"Yes," Mykage replied. "The Legendary Aquarion has been awakened after a 12,000 year long slumber. The earth heaves in anticipation. The seas dance in ecstasy. The heavens sing its triumphant return. And to think, it couldn't have been done without the help of your sons and that _harlot_ Celiane. It's almost enough for me to actually forgive them."

The Ahura Gnis flew up at the Cherubim, battering aside Mykage's attempt at an attack before sending it sprawling backwards with a heavy punch that connected at the top of the torso. "Forgive?" Izumo spat. "They have done nothing that requires forgiveness. You, on the other hand—."

It was as one-sided a battle as it could get. In fact, it could not even be called a battle anymore, as a battle would imply that the both sides had some chance at victory. Every attempt that Mykage made at attacking or putting some distance between himself and Izumo was easily countered. The only reason the fight did not end within the first minute was that Izumo's Cherubim seemed to have gained an annoying penchant for repairing itself of all damage quickly.

"Hahaha, it seems that you do deserve the title of 'Altair's Strongest' after all," Mykage laughed as a clawed thrust tore a gash across the side of his machine. "I'll admit that I'm unable to beat you in a straight fight. As much as I'm enjoying our reunion though, I really must get going. After all, the Wings of the Sun have already awakened and my plans are nearing their fruition."

"And you really expect me to let you go?" Izumo replied coldly as he renewed his attack on the Cherubim, assaulting it with a rapid barrage of punches, ending the combo with a shoulder throw that knocked down an abandoned building.

Mykage's lips turned up ever so slightly. "Of course," he said with infuriating calmness. "Because if you don't, who can say what would happen to your sons and their comrades?"

Izumo's eyes widened as the forms of six enemy units rose up from the ruins of the city. Two of them approached the spot where Amata's unit remained pinned to the ground. Two more were heading towards where Kagura had last been spotted. The remaining two began to pursue Zessica's Vector, though to the girl's credit, she was bravely fighting back, expertly dodging fire from the pursuing craft while attacking the Gnis units that were threatening her friends in order to slow them down.

Everything fell into place. Izumo had suspected that Mykage wasn't fighting to the extent of his abilities. It made sense now; he had been luring Izumo further and further away from where the other pilots were.

"Well now, you can continue trying to finish me off and maybe even stop me from taking the Wings of the Sun with me, Izumo," Mykage said mockingly. "Or you can save the people who are under your protection. Which will it be?"

"You bastard," Izumo growled at Izumo's face on the screen.

The choice was clear. He turned to help the children, making sure to keep an eye on Mykage. The moment he spotted the Cherubim heading for the golden Aquarion hovering in the sky, Izumo turned quickly and, without slowing down his flight towards his sons, fired off a beam at Mykage's machine. The Cherubim dodged the hasty attack easily.

"Tch, I missed."

Izumo decided that, for the moment, Amata was in greater peril than Kagura would be, seeing as how his machine was immobile. He landed by his son's side and quickly tore the blades that were pinning the Aquarion's arms to the ground out.

"Are you able to move?" Izumo asked as he absorbed several beams the enemy fired at them. Izumo returned fire, shooting two bursts in quick succession at the mass-produced units. One of the shots hit, causing the enemy to explode immediately like a lit firework.

The Gepard pushed itself off the ground and hovered low in the air. Hefting a pair of heavy rifles, Amata replied, "Looks like all the systems are still working."

Izumo nodded curtly and flew off. As he did, Amata said, "And dad?"

"What is it?"

The boy fiddled with his hair and lowered his eyes as he finished what he wanted to say. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"We're not out of this mess yet," Izumo replied firmly. "If you have time to be thanking me, you have time to play prince in shining armor and help that lady of yours."

His son's face reddened instantly and he stuttered, "S-she's not—I mean, we're not…"

Izumo just ignored the boy's attempts at speech and cut off the communication feed. He had to go and look for Kagura now. He trusted Amata to do what was needed now that he was freed.

"Dear, are you really sure you want to cut your son off like that?" Alicia asked as she leaned over and fixed him with a disapproving stare.

"He'll be fine. The boy likes her, she likes him. The two of them have trouble spitting it out—nothing a few battles fought together under life-threatening circumstances can't fix eventually," Izumo replied blankly as he scanned the information the Ahura Gnis was feeding him.

His wife sighed and covered her face with a hand, shaking her head from side to side. "You _really_ are clueless sometimes. At least give him some fatherly advice."

Izumo wished she wouldn't do things like that. He was painfully aware of how much better she was than he at talking about matters of the heart. "Fatherly advice? Like what? Pull the left trigger, it'll kill things faster? In case you don't know, people on Altair have all but forgotten how to interact with women. If the boy wants advice on relationships, he'd be much better off asking you."

"Hmmph! You're always like this," Alicia complained. "Acting like you don't care to hide your own awkwardness when it comes to others. That excuse won't work on me."

While they were talking, Izumo had disabled the two enemy units that were actively searching for Kagura. It wasn't hard at all, since the mass-produced units had a somewhat programmed feel to their movements. All it took was a feint before an actual attack and a hit was almost guaranteed. It felt rather refreshing, actually; an easy battle against an enemy he had no remorse in dispatching helped clear his mind of the turmoil meeting his mentor had caused. Bickering with his wife at the same time…well, he was just happy that she was here with him; he'd take that over the ten years she had been in stasis no matter what.

He scanned his radar for signs of the remaining three enemies or Mykage, but none of them showed up. It seemed as if Amata and Zessica had taken care of the ones that had been pursuing them. Izumo had been too distracted to keep track of where Mykage had gone, but judging by how the Aquarion he had called "the Wings of the Sun" was no longer floating in the sky above them, the man must have fled with it as soon as he saw an opening.

No use trying to pursue Mykage now, there was no possibility of catching up without knowing which direction he went. Instead, he landed the Ahura Gnis and got out to look for Kagura. Of course, he stopped to offer a hand to his wife as she climbed out of the cockpit, to which she gave him a rather odd look.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I just found it a little amusing that you still remembered how to be a gentleman despite your claims earlier."

It turned out that Kagura neither needed his help nor would wish for his presence. Izumo and Alicia found him fairly quickly with the help of a portable thermal imaging scanner that Izumo possessed. Two glowing temperature readings inside a two story building told the couple that their son and his companion were inside. The boy was seated on a fallen wall next to the girl that had been abducted, Mikono. The two only seemed to be talking, but between the girl's somewhat vulnerable expression and the pure joy that was on Kagura's face as he spoke and gestured, Izumo didn't have the heart to approach and interrupt them.

"Best not disturb them," Izumo murmured to his wife as he turned around and exited the ruined building.

Within two minutes, the couple located their other son. But as things were, it was even harder to approach him because Amata was currently locked in an embrace with Zessica, who had landed her Vector next to his. Even if Izumo was callous enough to ignore his own feelings on propriety and giving people their personal space, his survival instincts told him that "bad things" would happen if he approached them. Indeed, he could almost feel his wife's eyes burning a hole through his back, just daring him to take another step forwards.

"Our sons are—really quite popular aren't they?" he noted lamely as he turned to his wife, trying to show that he most certainly would _not_ be interrupting the moment.

They finally took off and began returning to base about a quarter of an hour later. Izumo had to carry Kagura's Vector since it couldn't fly under its own power. About halfway back, they all received a desperate message from Neo-DEAVA. At first, the operator was talking too quickly to understand, but upon a repeat of the missive, his blood ran cold.

* * *

_Ten minutes earlier…_

"We've received an update on the situation at Neo Venice," Malloy reported as he looked over the information on the screen in front of him. "All three Vector pilots accounted for, but the Vector Z has been badly damaged in battle. The Vector X has suffered some damage as well…what's this? Amata somehow managed to form the Gepard's head—by himself!?"

At this announcement, several of the student's heads turned. A solo Union? That was unheard of and could prove to be vital in days to come.

Ignoring all the curious looks he was getting, Malloy continued, "Oh wow! This is—This is great news. They've successfully recovered Mikono-san!"

Cheers burst out in the command room at this news. Yunoha had tears in her eyes as she hugged her doll tightly. MIX, dignity forgotten, was leaping into the air with cries of joy. Even Jin, normally so reserved, was exchanging high-fives with Andy. Not even the next bit of news could put a damper on their spirits after what they had learned.

"The Legendary Aquarion has resurfaced," Malloy read, eyes scanning the monitor. "Unfortunately, securing it proved to be impossible. The enemy has it in their possession, whereabouts unknown."

"I suppose we couldn't expect everything to be good news," Headmistress Crea replied from her hexagon-shaped communication screen. "We're wrapping up here. The Dimension Gate hasn't closed yet, but the remaining enemy units have all already fled back through the portal. Good work everyone."

Within five minutes, the three Vectors had been stowed away and the pilots had all disembarked. Several of the students ran over to their teachers as they were entering the room, gushing at how awesome they had been during the fight.

"I don't understand why you don't pilot the Aquarion more often!"

"Instructor—that was badass!"

"Suomi-sensei, you never told me you could pilot that well!"

The Headmistress turned away all her admirers politely before sinking into her chair with an exhausted sigh. "I'm really getting too old for all this," she said tiredly, to the astonishment of everyone who could hear her.

She turned to Supreme Commander Fudo with a soft smile. "You should try piloting sometime. How long has it been since you've fought at the front lines?"

The Supreme Commander ignored her, which was surprising in and of itself. However, the serious expression he had on his face as he regarded the large screen did not suit him at all. They had won…right? Then why was Fudo Zen, the man who smiled arrogantly no matter how badly stacked the odds were against him, wearing an expression best described as that of a condemned man walking up the steps to the gallows?

"Crea, you must promise me one thing," he said solemnly.

In all the years she had known him, the man had never asked for a promise like that. He merely said something and everyone moved to fulfill his will. Something was clearly causing him a great deal of concern.

"What is it?"

"Whatever happens next, let me handle it. Do not get involved and definitely do not allow the students to do anything rash."

Crea couldn't believe what she was hearing. The way Fudo Zen was talking was not unlike a man about to meet his end. "What are you talking about, Fudo?" she asked, dropping his title completely. "We're all in this together, you can't possibly—"

"Don't question me," he replied patiently, like a father to a child. "Just act as I said. There isn't much time."

Then, almost hesitantly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two decks of cards. He placed both in front of Crea. "These are yours now," he said fondly, "it'll be up to you to lead them after this day."

"Fudo, what are you—"

"Shh," the Supreme Commander answered, placing a gloved finger over the Headmistress' lips.

Crea looked down at the cards he had placed on the table. Flipping the first card over of one deck revealed the Queen of Hearts. It was the deck of cards that Fudo had taken a liking to using during this reincarnation cycle. She flipped over the top card of the second deck. Unlike the first, this one was much, much older, but remarkably well preserved despite its age. The card that was revealed was The World ; a tarot deck.

"Supreme Commander," she began softly, "this deck…it couldn't be…"

Supreme Commander Fudo smiled, the sad sort of a man reminiscing. "It belonged to an old mutual friend of ours. Keep it safe, and may it guide you well."

At that moment, the ground shook, and before anyone could recover from the sudden tremor, it shook again. Part of the wall caved in as a large bladed object pierced through the building. Moments later, the blade withdrew and a ghostly figure floated inside.

"Well then, Apollonius," Mykage said with a smirk. "I assume you know what happens now?"

"You!" Donar shouted, raising an assault rifle and aiming it at the intruder.

Mykage regarded the instructor dismissively. "Children should not meddle in my affairs. Stay your hand, pup."

"Stand down, Instructor Dantes," the Supreme Commander ordered. Then, standing up and looking straight at Mykage. "Well then, I see that you've finally realized who I really am."

"I realized it at the end of the last cycle," Mykage answered. "How could I not? That was rather cruel of you, Apollonius. Tricking me into joining with a fragment of Celiane and that disgusting mutt of yours. Well, as you can see, your plan to be rid of me only half worked; such is the strength of my resentment towards you."

There were whispers amongst the students now. The confusion was palpable, and for good reason. For the past 12,000 years, the idea that "Apollon," or rather, Apollo as they now knew him, was Apollonius' reincarnation was the truth of the Aquarion myth. To find out that the stories were wrong…it was unexpected to say the least.

"Headmistress Crea," Fudo Zen said calmly without taking his eyes off Mykage. "All the answers pertaining to matters of the past are in the Book of Genesis. When I'm gone, it is up to you to determine how to disclose it."

The Supreme Commander's posture seemed to become more strained. The way he was leaning on the table no longer seemed to be a casual pose, but rather a sustained effort to hold himself up.

"What's wrong, Fudo?" the Headmistress asked out of concern.

Mykage burst into laughter. "You really can't guess?" he gloated. "Well then, let me ask you this. Why, now that you know that the man before you is the true Apollonius, why has he never piloted the Aquarion in all the time you have known him? After all, as the origin of the Aquarion, there should be no pilot more compatible with or more knowledgeable about the 'Wings of the Sun' than he."

As he talked, the Headmistress had to agree that something was rather strange. During the first war with the Shadow Angels, Apollonius had taken on most of the fighting for humanity, alongside Celiane and a third pilot within the Aquarion. If Apollo wasn't Apollonius, then Apollonius would have been off the frontlines during the second war against the Shadow Angels as well as during this new war; odd considering how all accounts of Apollonius portrayed him as a proud and fierce warrior.

"Give up?" Mykage asked, sounding absolutely delighted at having the opportunity to rub his knowledge in everyone's faces. "It's because the 'great' Apollonius _can't_ pilot the Aquarion anymore. He is _too_ compatible with the 'Wings of the Sun.' It is, after all, a part of himself. Much like Celiane's soul, which was split between Silvia and Sirius, wished to be reunited as one, so too does his soul. The strength of that desire could only have gotten stronger as time passed. I don't know how that mutt managed to split himself into two halves again after I forcibly rejoined them, but no matter. Apollonius is here. The 'Wings of the Sun' is here. And I _will_ obtain both in one stroke!"

A golden burst of light flooded the room before it focused and shined exclusively on the Supreme Commander. It was a dazzlingly beautiful light, but also fiercely intense. Everyone had to shield their eyes to avoid being blinded. When the glow died away, the Supreme Commander had vanished. All that remained of the enigmatic man who had been their leader was one final line, delivered with his usual bravado.

"The future, I leave to you."

Mykage, however, scoffed at those words. "Defiant until the end. Just like the Apollonius I once thought I knew."

He turned to face the stunned audience within the command room and declared. "And now, I have no further use for you. Prepare to be destroyed by that which brought you hope in the past!"

The scene displayed on the large screen in the room switched to a camera that was looking straight at the Legendary Aquarion. Instead of the usual mechanical extension that passed for wings which everyone was used to seeing, _this_ Aquarion had grown actual wings as well. To the students present, it now made sense why the statue of the Aquarion in the school's temple had what appeared to be a pair of organic wings behind it.

"Now, 'Wings of the Sun,' I command you! Show these mortals the terrible destructive light that brought Atlandia to its knees!" Mykage shouted in delight, his smile twisting upwards slightly.

Far from following the feathery haired man's demands, however, the Legendary Aquarion curled back up into a fetal position, its wings wrapping about itself protectively. It seemed as if the machine, having taking Zen Fudo into itself, was content to return to a dormant state.

"What!?" Mykage screamed in indignation. "You deny me even now, Apollonius!? Very well, I'll allow your precious little pets some time to make their peace. But mark my words, I _will_ bend you to my will! They have no hope of victory. The 'Wings of the Sun' are mine and they have no Apollonius to lead them. I will stand alone as the god of this world before the end, Apollonius!"

With that, the floating man vanished into thin air and the Cherubim came back to life. It grabbed onto the Aquarion roughly and flew off into the distance, towards the spot where the Dimension Gate had been opened. As the two machines disappeared from sight, all the built up tension in the room drained at once.

Everyone let out the air in their lungs at nearly the same moment; it seemed as if everybody had been holding their breath. Crea rubbed at her neck; the encounter had given her the feeling that she had a dagger pressed against her throat. To the credit of everyone present, no one broke out into a panic immediately.

_The best way to get their minds off what just happened…is to keep them busy_, Crea thought.

"Get to cleaning up this mess!" she commanded from her chair, causing several nearby students to jump. "We have no time to waste. Communications team, get in contact with Commander Izumo and the other Vector pilots and brief them on the situation so we can get to work as soon as they return!"

_I hope you knew what you were doing when you gave me command, Fudo. Because now more than ever, I feel lost without you by my side._

Crea flipped over a card. A skeletal man in armor riding upon a pale horse was there to greet her. Five letters at the bottom of the card seemed to mock the Headmistress: _Death_.

* * *

The next day marked a flurry of activity at the school. While most of the students who feared for their own safety had already left after the academy had been attacked the first time, there was no shortage of students now who wished to take a week or two to travel home and spend time with family or loved ones. As was the case then, the higher-ups at the academy allowed the students to do as they wished. Most promised to return; they could sense that the next battle would be the last.

The core group of Aquarion pilots all opted to stay at the school. Not because they were any braver or more virtuous than their fellow students, but because months of interaction and fighting alongside one another meant that they were already amongst those they cared about the most; they had no need to leave to spend time with those they cherished. However, this did not mean that everything was well and good for all of them.

"What the hell do you mean by 'I can't let you pass'?" a shout rang through the hallway near the infirmary.

Zessica winced because of the volume.

"How long has this been going on?" she asked Amata as she took his arm.

The source of all the noise was none other than Kagura. Zessica had heard from a fellow student during breakfast that someone was causing a ruckus by the sickroom. She figured that it had nothing to do with her…that is, until someone else mentioned Kagura by name. At that point, she had rushed to the infirmary where she was met by Amata and his parents, all of whom were regarding Kagura with different expressions.

Amata's clearly said that he understood what Kagura was going through. His mother looked torn between wanting to support her other son and wanting to reprimand him. Commander Izumo was the one who was blocking Kagura's way, he had his usual calm expression on.

"Kagura, I already explained myself," Izumo replied evenly, staring his son down. "You may not go in and see Suzushiro Mikono because she still needs medical examination to make sure she recovers from her period of captivity. Your presence will only get in the way of that."

"Fine then! If you won't let me past, I'll just have to find someone who can overrule your decision!" Kagura shouted as he stormed off angrily.

Izumo's shoulders slumped as the red-haired boy stalked off around a corner. "I know that was necessary, but did the boy have to make it so hard?" he asked. Alicia put an arm around his shoulder comfortingly. Looking at his wife, he added, "That could have gone a lot better."

"Don't push yourself too hard dear," Alicia said. "He inherited your stubbornness."

"Actually," Amata mused. "That went much better than I would have expected. Three months ago, he would have just tried to force his way through."

Trying to change the subject, Zessica asked, "How's Mikono doing? Is she alright?"

Although not to Kagura's extent, she was concerned about Mikono's well-being; after all, who knew what sorts of horrors Mykage had put the poor girl through? Just thinking about it made Zessica shudder.

"She's doing fine," Izumo replied. "Nothing in the tests they've done so far indicates anything to be concerned about. She's a bit tired, but given everything she's been through, that isn't a surprise. We do want to question her once she's ready, to see if she can provide information that will help us outwit Mykage, but that will have to wait."

"What about you?" Amata asked Zessica. "You should be resting. I mean, we just fought a pretty rough battle yesterday."

Zessica knew that it probably would have been better to do it when neither of his parents were present, but the concerned look on Amata's face was just too endearing to resist. Putting her pointer finger over his lips and making sure to lean forwards just enough so that he would get a glimpse down her top, she teased him in her most seductive voice, "You look tired too. What do you say we go and take a nap…to—ge—ther?"

There was a loud thud as Amata's head collided with the ceiling. Alicia's eyes tracked her son's trajectory and when the two women's eyes met afterwards, there was an unspoken understanding that passed between the two of them. Izumo, for his part, kept a straight face throughout; the man had probably been a poker champion in a past life.

"Ow! Damn that hurt!" Amata cried as he finally came back to the ground. "You didn't have to go that far Zessica. I was just worried—though I guess that there wasn't any need to be."

The boy paused, clearly thinking about something. If this was one of those cheesy old western cartoons, Zessica would have expected to see a lightbulb turn on atop his head.

"Wait a second," he said quietly. "Something's definitely not right with how Kagura left earlier…because if I was him—well, guess in a way, I am, but you know what I mean. He definitely gave up way too easily earlier, even counting in how much he'd changed."

As if those words were the cue, there was a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass coming from the other side of the infirmary door. Immediately, Izumo opened the door and the four of them ran inside. The scene was just about what Zessica expected.

One broken window. Several panicked orderlies. Lots of shattered glass on the ground. One _very _startled Mikono sitting in her hospital bed with a book on her lap. And finally, one widely grinning Kagura, with shards of glass in his hair and blood dripping down his arms from where broken glass had cut him.

Izumo's cold eyes turned from the window, to the glass, to Kagura's face, and finally to the workers in the infirmary. Finally, he gave a sigh and ordered everyone back to work.

"Clean up the glass and find something to cover the window so that a draft doesn't come in," he commanded.

As he turned around to exit the room, he added, "And find my idiot son a bed to rest in while he heals up. The one next to the girl should be fine."

* * *

*notes: Surprise! I did say there was going to be one in this chapter. I wonder how many of you saw it coming though. I don't regret writing in an event like this though because it's needed for the ending I have planned for the story.

I guess I should explain a little about the cards that Crea flipped over during this chapter though. During the earlier part of Evol, several characters were associated with playing cards. I assigned Crea the Queen of Spades for two reasons. First, the color scheme meant that clubs or spades would be the most appropriate. Combined with the second: how Shrade is the "Ace of Spades" and Crea's seemingly close connection to him, I figured Queen of Spades was the most appropriate card to represent her. **Edit: After a little bit of additional research, I found out that Crea is apparently the "Queen of Hearts" in-universe. Ret-conned the story to fit this in. I guess I'm lucky it wasn't anything big. For those interested, apparently the "Queen of Spades" is none other than...wait for it...Jin **

As for the tarots, it was something from way back in Genesis of Aquarion. One of the characters there, Reina, used to play with tarots a lot. I brought them back here. The World is supposed to represent an ending period, before another cycle begins anew. Rather appropriate considering we're nearing the point where Mykage can become a god and rewrite reality how he sees fit. There's a few other meanings to it too, such as "becoming complete" which might play a role later on. Finally, the card Death while seemingly ominous, can actually be positive. It's usually associated with a time of change or transformation and of moving forwards. This is just a small bit of the symbolism involved, so if it has peaked your interest, by all means look up the full interpretation of the symbolism, it's quite interesting.

Wow, explaining that took up a lot more space than I thought it would. A bit of a calming scene at the end there, mainly because I felt that it was needed after the events of the middle of the chapter. Kagura learns a lesson about how jumping through glass windows isn't as easy as it looks in the movies but, as a "reward," he gets to spend some time with Mikono. Izumo tries to prove to his wife that he's not completely insensitive to the needs of his sons. And Amata has a closer encounter with the ceiling than he would like. Alright, enough rambling. Next chapter will, tentatively, be called:

**Chapter 21: Stratagems**


	21. Chapter 21: Stratagems

**Chapter 21: Stratagems**

"Hey! We all came to see how you two were doing!"

The door to the infirmary slid open with a quiet hiss as Andy walked into the room, followed by a majority of the main Aquarion pilots. Andy had a bouquet of flowers with him which he promptly handed to Mikono.

"For you, from all of us," he said with a wide grin. "Welcome back."

"Thank you Andy-kun," Mikono replied, sitting up in her hospital bunk and accepting them graciously. "They're lovely."

Andy turned to Kagura and, grinning even more widely, said, "None for you though. We don't want to encourage idiotic behavior like jumping through windows." He placed an arm around Kagura's shoulder, causing the red-haired boy to flinch from pain. In a more secretive voice, Andy continued, "I _did_ want to bring you certain, er…reading materials, if you know what I mean, but I couldn't get them past—security."

Unfortunately, Andy wasn't whispering as quietly as he thought he was and the "security" in question happened to hear it.

MIX slapped Andy upside the head and responded, "You're disgusting, Andy!" Turning red in the face and pointing an accusing finger, she continued, "And why would you have such a collection in the first place?"

"What do you mean? It's part of being a guy," Andy answered.

The reactions to this were interesting to say the least. Jin alternated between hiding his face behind his bangs and looking at the door like he wanted to leave. Malloy was chuckling a little and trying to blend into the background. Even the ever stoic Cayenne coughed into his fist and pretended he wasn't paying attention.

"Oho? Amata…are there any pictures of me in your 'collection'?" Zessica teased.

Amata blushed furiously and waved both hands about frantically, trying to keep from floating off. "I-I don't have any—that is to say—I don't have—a collec–not that—um—" he blurted out all at once.

"Do you want any?"

Amata spent the next few minutes of the hospital visit stuck to the ceiling. Everyone had a decent laugh at that. Even Mikono, who had been prone to jealousy whenever Amata flew for anyone else in the past, had to admit that it was nice to see that some things just never changed with her friends.

"Alright, joking aside," MIX said once the laughter subsided and Amata finally managed to get back on his feet. "How are you feeling Mikono-san? The teachers haven't pestered you about anything, right? Because if they have, I'll go right up to them and—"

"No, I'm fine, really," Mikono said, smiling brightly. "Thanks for asking. They did have a few questions for me, but they didn't really press me for information when I told them I didn't know the answers to some of the questions they asked."

"Alright then," MIX said a little doubtfully. "But if they get unreasonable, let me know, ok?"

Meanwhile, the boys, were all gathered by Kagura's bedside.

"You know, I'm all for breaking the rules for the sake of girls," Andy was saying. "But you're something else entirely. Why didn't you just use your Element power to prevent yourself from getting hurt?"

Kagura looked at the other boy and said, sounding perfectly serious, "How else was I going to get to stay in the infirmary by Mikono's side?"

"Y-you…That is simultaneously the dumbest and smartest thing I've ever heard," Andy replied, holding his sides to try to keep from bursting into laughter. "Just as planned, right? You're more clever than I thought…sort of."

"Just because I don't usually think things through doesn't mean that I can't," Kagura protested. He paused for a second. That didn't come out as well as it had sounded in his head.

"So…" Cayenne interrupted, pushing Andy out of the way. "How is my sister doing? I want the truth."

"Why not just ask her yourself?"

"Because," he replied, lowering his voice so that the girls wouldn't hear. "She's the type that would put on a smile and pretend that everything's alright just so that she doesn't feel like she's a bother to anyone."

"As expected of the brother," Kagura said, lowering his own voice to match Cayenne's. "You know her pretty well."

"Of course. Mikono might have become stronger in some ways, but it's not easy to change completely."

"We only talked about mundane things. A little about what happened at the academy while she was…gone, but I've tried to avoid anything that would remind her of Altair," Kagura answered. He looked at Cayenne with a very serious expression, "I was stuck with Mykage for years before this so I know a bit of what he's capable of. If you care about her at all…don't ask her about what happened on Altair."

Cayenne glared back at Kagura, clearly looking like he wanted to shake the boy around by the collar, as he retorted, "Who are you to say the words 'if you care about her at all'?"

His expression softened a little when he realized he had raised his voice and that the girls had turned their heads towards him. Returning to his previous volume, he added, "You're not the only one who cares about her, _boy_. So if you're capable of using your brain on any task not related to my sister, you'd do well to think before you speak."

"Alright, alright, we get it," Andy interrupted before things could turn violent. "You're both concerned for her well-being; let's leave it at that before it gets bloody. More importantly, you mentioned 'what he's capable of.' Since we're on the topic, just what exactly does Mykage want?"

"No idea," Kagura admitted. "He mentioned a few things about revenge against those who betrayed him, but nothing specific while I was around. He was also obsessed with the 'Wings of the Sun,' but I guess he's managed to get his hands on that. Aside from that, he's never really confided in me, you know?"

Everyone nodded solemnly; they had been told all this during the debriefing the night of the attack. It seemed that if they wanted to learn more, they would have to get the information from either Commander Izumo or Headmistress Crea, the two of whom had taken up joint leadership of Neo-DEAVA's operations during the Supreme Commander's absence.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to release this information to everyone, Headmistress?"

Izumo's question wasn't a protest, but rather a comment to make Headmistress Crea reflect on what might come about as a result.

The command room had been sealed off for the entire day while the leaders of Neo-DEAVA discussed what direction to take. Currently present were Headmistress Crea, Commander Izumo, Suomi-sensei, and Alicia; the principal was busy attending to paperwork from all the students filing for leaves of absence. Instructor Dantes had gone out to use the restroom, meaning that everyone was on break for the time being. The Headmistress took a powdered donut out from the box in front of her and inspected it before pushing the box to the center of the table, offering the rest to everyone else present.

"I certainly intend to, Commander," she said before taking a bite. And once she had finished chewing, "In order to move on to the future, it is important that we learn the truth about the past. Not only to avoid repeating mistakes, but in order to discover something about ourselves and our reasons for fighting."

"Well put," Izumo noted. "I suppose that I have no objections to this course of action if you've already thought through it to this extent."

The door to the room opened and Instructor Dantes entered. "Sorry about taking so long," he apologized. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing" Suomi-sensei answered. "We were waiting for you to get back before we came up with a plan of action for dealing with Mykage."

"Well, he has the Legendary Aquarion," Donar said as he sat down. "It's not going to be easy to win. Not to mention we have no idea what his actual goal is."

"Actually, instructor. That's not quite true," Headmistress Crea noted. "Remember his parting words? It might have sounded like a madman's ramblings, but he did say something about becoming a 'god' of this world."

"But as you said, it's probably nothing more than the ravings of a madman," Donar countered.

"She didn't say that Instructor," Izumo interjected. "She merely said they 'sounded' like ramblings. I've known Mykage longer than you have and the man does have some powers that defy common logic. And if your legends on the Aquarion are true…he might just be able to ascend to something very close to godhood."

"Great…Way to think positive," Donar muttered under his breath.

"Donar, it's better to plan for the worst case scenario," Suomi-sensei said, reprimanding him lightly.

He grinned sheepishly. "I didn't mean it that way. But how does one fight a god? The very concept of a god is that he or she or it is so far beyond humanity that we can't hope to reach it, right? That it would be laughable to even try to fight against it?"

The Headmistress thought for a moment, finishing the last of her donut before replying.

"We can't think that way," she answered firmly. "Because we can't give up hope. The moment we start thinking of a battle as unwinnable is the moment it truly becomes so. I don't have any answers for you right now, but I think I know what might…"

"You can't possibly mean—"

"We're going to consult the 'Book of Genesis' again. It might not be able to foretell the future since those pages are blank, but Supreme Commander Fudo might have left us something useful in there. We'll just need to keep looking."

The Headmistress brought out a thick book from under the table and flipped it open to the first page. Just like the first time that Crea had opened that volume in their presence, the book expanded to fill Izumo's vision. He reached over and grasped his wife's hand, both to reassure himself that she was there and to fight the sudden sense of vertigo. The sensation ended quickly, but he continued holding her hand. She looked at him, slightly amused, and gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"Let's see," Crea murmured. "Here we have the original war with the Shadow Angels…And based on what he's said when we encountered him, Mykage is most likely the reincarnation or a partial reincarnation of Shadow Angel Toma. I wish Fudo were here, he'd know for sure."

"Shadow Angel Toma," Izumo mused. "You say that name like we should be expected to know it."

"Dear," Alicia pointed out, "he was the main antagonist in that movie I was in, remember?"

Now that she mentioned it, the name _did_ seem familiar. Izumo scratched the back of his head and replied, "I'd forgotten, sorry."

Alicia looked rather indignant at his casual dismissal of the issue, so he hastily added, "After you were placed into stasis I never had time to watch 'Skies of Aquaria' again. Or rather, I didn't want to since..."

"Since what?"

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

Izumo looked at the expectant faces of his colleagues at Neo-DEAVA. He'd have preferred if he was alone with his wife if he had to answer that question. It really wasn't a side of himself that he wanted to become public knowledge. But seeing the ever darkening expression on his wife's beautiful face, he had no choice.

"Alright, fine!" he relented. "Since remembering all the times we shared together on Vega made me feel happy for a brief moment until it all came back to the crashing realization that I had lost you, most likely forever. Seeing your smile on screen, where I couldn't reach out and touch your face. Seeing you laugh and dance when I couldn't join in…that was something I could not bear."

It actually felt somewhat relieving to get that out of his system, but he didn't think he would care to repeat it. His wife seemed to be at a loss for words, moving her mouth without making a sound. Then, without warning, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Rather awkwardly and probably moving slower than he should have, Izumo returned her embrace. Somewhere in the distance, he heard something that was best described as a "squee," likely coming from Suomi-sensei, and a low whistle, which was definitely Instructor Dantes. And to his surprise, he found that he didn't really care that they were there to see; all that mattered to Izumo right now was the woman in his arms and finding a way to protect both her and her world.

"Ahem," a polite voice cut in after a moment that seemed an eternity. "If you'd put that off for a few moments, I believe I've found something that might be of use."

It turned out that while he had been distracted, the pages of the "Book of Genesis" had been flipping, seemingly directed by the Headmistress' mind. It had come to a stop on a page detailing the second war against the Shadow Angels; that is, the events of 12,000 years past.

"What did you find?"

"It looks like 'Mykage' is actually a partial reincarnation of Shadow Angel Toma. More specifically, the dark side of him that was unable to forgive Apollonius for his betrayal," Crea replied. "It's here in this passage about the events that occurred just after the 'Tree of Life' died."

"I don't see how that can help us," Instructor Dantes said.

"It's a long shot…but what if the other half of Toma's soul still exists within the Legendary Aquarion?" the Headmistress asked. "If that was the case, we _might_ be able to find a way to reconnect the two halves."

"Using the power of [Connection]?" Izumo mused. "There's a lot that could go wrong with that plan. First of all, there's no guarantee that the other half of Shadow Angel Toma's soul is present within the Aquarion. Secondly, even if it was present, we have no idea which side of the original Toma will become the dominant personality."

"Hmm," Crea nodded. "That is true."

"Also, Mykage's not going to sit around passively while we go about with our own objectives, he'll almost certainly interfere. And finally…I'm not sure whether I want to send that girl out to face Mykage," Izumo finished.

"You don't trust her?" Crea asked. "Why? Do you suspect Mykage might still be able to influence her?"

"It's not that," Izumo replied quickly. "I'm as sure as anyone about whether Mykage can influence her actions, which is to say, not sure at all. I was more concerned about her mental state; she's already been through enough trauma at that man's hands. I don't want to have to force her to confront him again if she's unwilling."

Izumo paused. _Why had he said that last bit_? As a commander, he should know better than to let personal sentiment affect his decisions. He justified his reasoning to himself; if the girl was compromised, it would negatively affect her ability to fulfill her mission. Nothing more. His concern was certainly not due to how much both his sons, but especially Kagura, seemed to care for her.

Crea gave him an understanding smile, "She'll be fine. She's stronger than you give her credit for, even if she herself has a hard time believing it. As long as her friends are with her to support her and make up for her weaknesses, I'd be willing to bet the future on her ability to do what is expected of her."

The Headmistress frowned as she considered the rest of Izumo's reasons for rejecting her plan. But try as she might, she couldn't think of an alternative plan that had as much of a chance of succeeding.

"As for your concerns regarding dealing with Mykage, what would you suggest? I hope you're not going to say that we're going to fight a quasi-deity in a head to head fight and triumph through will-power alone?" Crea finally continued. "That might work well in fairy-tales and shonen series, but reality is a different matter."

"What did Shadow Angel Toma think of humans in terms of fighting against them?" Izumo asked quietly, an idea forming within his mind.

"Pardon?"

Izumo repeated his question to a confused looking Headmistress.

"Hmm, I'd say he despised humans in general. You have to remember, these are beings with nearly mythological powers," she answered. "The Shadow Angels viewed our tenacity in battle as little more than a nuisance."

"So if we made a show of attacking him head-on, do you think he'd fall for it?"

"Just what are you planning?"

"I'll let you know later," Izumo replied. "But first, you'll need to convince me that your plan has a chance of success."

Crea took out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them. Then, placing five cards face down on the ground, she looked up at Izumo.

"What is that?"

"A tarot reading. Fudo left this deck with me saying 'may it guide you well.' Knowing the man, he would not have used those words unless he knew…"

"Knew what?"

Crea didn't answer and instead flipped over the cards one by one.

"[Judgement]. Not only a reference to this final battle, I think, but also signifying the return of those from the past. [The Wheel of Fortune], an element of change, I don't know if that's good or bad for us... [Ace of Swords]. Cutting through deception? To make a decision? I don't really know what to make of it. [Five of Pentacles]…despair…no, it's reversed, so hope? [Two of Cups] Attraction? Romance? Forming a bond? I wish I was more familiar with these things."

The Headmistress stood up and picked up the cards. Holding the deck out to Izumo, she said, "Why don't you give them a try? Perhaps the message the Supreme Commander left with these was meant for you."

Izumo scoffed, "Please don't joke with me. I trust in the determination of my troops and a good, solid plan, not mystical nonsense and card games. Knowing the man's personality, I doubt the Supreme Commander's words were meant to be taken literally."

Nevertheless, he accepted the cards from the Headmistress and shuffled them well. Then, he mimicked how she had placed the cards earlier and chuckled to himself as he flipped the first card, convinced that there was no point to this exercise.

The first card he flipped, he dismissed as mere coincidence. The second started to nag at him. By the time he had flipped the final card, Izumo was at a loss for words. All five cards were exactly the same as when the Headmistress had done the reading. Identical down to the positioning of each card.

"How many cards are in here?" he asked.

Crea thought about it for a moment. "I think there're 78 in a tarot deck."

78 cards in a deck. No, with the alternate readings based on whether they were upright or reversed, that accounted for 156 possibilities. The odds of getting the same exact reading twice in a row were astronomically slim. Maybe the Supreme Commander really _was_ trying to convince them of something.

"Care to try it again?" the Headmistress asked with a smile on her face.

"No, I think you've proven your point," Izumo replied. "It seems the Supreme Commander still continues to violate everything we think is 'logical' even when he's not here. We'll go along with your plan, but I have a few suggestions as to how we're going to do it in order to get that girl close enough to work her Element ability…"

* * *

"You know, in a way I'm kind of glad that Kagura and Amata pretty much trashed their Vectors during that last battle."

Andy rested on the lawn, chewing on a blade of grass as he spoke. Next to him, MIX was sitting down, watching the clouds as the sun began to set.

"Why's that?"

"Because if both Aquarions were in good repair, you can bet that the higher-ups would be making us fight mock battle after mock battle in preparation," Andy replied. "This way, they can't really force us to do anything piloting related."

"You're such a lazy bum sometimes, Andy. I mean, Cayenne-san went off to the shooting range to practice almost as soon as he finished visiting his sister and Jin-kun went off to repair his own machine. You could have joined one of them."

"Nah, I'd much rather spend that time with you," he answered, closing his eyes and enjoying the last of the sun's warmth.

"W-w-what do you mean by that?" MIX exclaimed. "You better not be saying that just to—"

"I meant exactly what I said," Andy replied without moving. "I won't pull that crap with you about this being the last battle or that 'if I should die on the morrow' nonsense. I'm the type of person who lives for the present in a way that I won't have any regrets. And what that lifestyle is telling me to do now is to spend as much time by your side as I can."

MIX was silent for a long time. Long enough that Andy was worried that she somehow had snuck off without his hearing anything to indicate that she had done so. He opened his eyes, intending to make sure she was still there.

"Gah!" he cried out as he sat up straight.

She had been there after all, looking down at him. Andy had been startled by how close her eyes had been to his own and had sat up without thinking. Of course, that movement caused their foreheads to butt together, resulting in his seeing stars for a brief moment.

"What was that for?" MIX shouted indignantly, clutching at her head.

As he rubbed his forehead, Andy shot back, "I could say the same thing!"

The two of them looked at each other for a minute before bursting out into laughter at the exact same moment.

"Every time, without fail, we end up like this somehow. Bickering about the little things that don't even matter," MIX said as she caught her breath. "You know, ever since that incident with my father, I've—"

The hesitation in her voice finished the sentence for her. Andy, taking the opportunity, grasped her firmly by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. He wanted to reassure her, let her know that he would always be there for her. But he knew that such words might only make things worse with the final showdown with Mykage looming over the horizon.

So in place of the words he truly wanted to say, Andy said, "Don't force yourself, MIX. Wait until you're ready."

"But we might not have the time to wait."

"Sure we do," he replied, putting on a roguish grin. "No matter what happens, let's make it our goal to meet up again here, on this hill, once this is all over and share the things we wanted to say. Even if I need to dig a hole from the underworld to reach you, even if I need to wait 12,000 years, I'll do it. I'll meet you here."

"You'd better keep that promise."

"I will."

"I'll never forgive you again if you don't."

And as the sun's final ray faded from the top of the grassy hill, the two linked their pinkies and sealed the most memorable promise of their lives.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Mykage-sama?"

"Is it your job to see to my will or to question my orders?" Mykage replied coldly.

The technician looked startled at being told off in such a manner. Ever since Mykage had returned with the 'Wings of the Sun,' Apollonius' continued resistance wore at his patience. The man just did not know when to give up. Oh, he knew quite well what his old lover was doing; trying to buy time for his precious pet humans to recover from the last fight and bolster their defenses. But no matter how much time they had to prepare, there was no scenario in which they could defeat him. Because the moment Apollonius was overtaken by the will of the Aquarion, Mykage would be guaranteed victory.

Just as the two halves of Apollonius had wished to reunite as one, so too do the worlds of Altair and Vega, split when the "Tree of Life" had died, wish to become one again. All Mykage would have to do was give the process a little push and everything would all work out on its own from there. The twin worlds would once again become complete and life itself would be cleansed so that a new beginning could be written. A new beginning penned by his own hand.

To achieve that end, there were a few things he needed. The first was what he had been discussing with this thick-headed technician; a method to clone Otoha's feather and bind it to a dummy system in order to substitute for two of the three necessary pilots of the Aquarion. It was a method that had disgusted him when the humans had dared to use it against him in the previous war, but now, Mykage saw little alternative. Human pilots were too unreliable to use, not to mention the fact that he didn't trust them. He doubted any of them would be pleased when they found out his true agenda.

"Forgive me, Otoha," Mykage murmured to himself. "Bear with it for just a while. For my sake…please."

That left one last problem; how he was going to pilot the Aquarion without a physical body. That was the main reason why he had wanted to recover Alicia's body. Not only would that have given him an additional edge over Izumo, but as a strong Element, she would have made the perfect host. There wasn't much chance of taking over someone from Neo-DEAVA anymore since the very moment he opened a Dimension Gate to Vega, they would be ready for him to try something. He would have to choose someone from Altair, poor hosts though they might be.

The question was—who to pick?

"Mykage-sama—"

A voice interrupted his thoughts. Although he had given orders not to be disturbed unless it was for the most important of reasons, these damned soldier-types always seemed to think that every little detail required affirmation from the commanding officer. How did Izumo put up with all this bureaucracy day after day?

"What is it?" Mykage asked out of irritation.

"Captain Hizen is here to see you regarding the events of the invasion. He seems rather displeased with how many men we lost or abandoned on Vega."

Mykage was struck by an idea and smiled sinisterly to himself.

"Send him in—and shut the door behind you when you do."

* * *

*notes- Not a very eventful chapter since it's a lull period in between battles. However, I am trying to give you as readers the general plan of action that both sides will be taking without giving away the implementation.

This is probably the second to last opportunity to emphasize just how much the characters have changed (or not changed, in some ways) before the final battle begins. Speaking of which, MIX and Andy finally get to have a moment together; I figured 21 chapters was long enough for them to wait. Andy did kind of stumble about a death flag there; we'll see how that turns out for him.

I don't really have much more to say about this chapter since I had expected it to be a transition chapter. This will be the last of the tarot cards for the main storyline, so if the symbolism of those confused you as much as it did me when I first read about those, you'll be happy about that. (For those wondering, based on my calculations, which I'm pretty sure are correct [despite it being forever since I've taken statistics,] the odds of getting the same exact tarot reading with five cards is just shy of 1 in 7.5 x 10^21.) For comparison, the odds of winning the mega-millions lottery are in the ballpark of 1 in 2 x 10^8, or 1 in 200 million, and that's actually a more extreme estimate. Next chapter will be titled, should my plans not change:

**Chapter 22: Genesis of Revelation**


	22. Chapter 22: Genesis of Revelation

**Chapter 22: Genesis of Revelation**

"Hey! Pass me that wrench over there would you?"

"Sure thing, here."

"Gah! Don't thro—"

Jin instinctively flinched as the mechanic standing on the ramp above him took a wrench to the gut. It was now three days since the battle against Mykage and the Vectors were undergoing repairs. He had come to the hangar to see if the parts for the Radius Gnis he had requested had come in yet, but had gotten distracted with helping out after one of the technicians had asked for his advice. Pressing a button on his communicator, he brought up the time. 2:34. It would seem he had completely forgotten about lunch. His stomach growled at that precise moment as if to say, "_Now_ you remember…idiot."

"Hey Jin-kun, you've done more than enough," one of the technicians said. "Go grab a bite to eat. And don't you need to work on your own machine? I thought you took a decent amount of damage in the fighting as well."

"The cafeteria's closed by this time," he replied. "And most of the damage to the Radius Zero was to the individual Akhtar weapon bits. That was why I was waiting for that shipment to come in, so I can start replacing the pieces that were destroyed. Thanks for the thought though. Er—"

With a start, Jin realized that he couldn't identify the man. Not because he was bad at remembering names, but because the man was wearing a welding mask and he wasn't familiar enough with all the mechanics Neo-DEAVA employed to recognize him by voice alone.

The mechanic flipped up the visor to his mask and grinned. Pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, the man said, "Well then, I guess that means that the boxed lunch your little girlfriend brought over for ya is going to go to waste."

"Wait—what?"

Jin rushed over to the railing and peered over the side. As he had surmised from what the man had said, Yunoha was standing by the entrance to the hangar, looking around for him. Jin waved to her and, without bothering to use the stairs, flipped over the railing and slid down a support beam to reach the ground. He heard a few chuckles from the older mechanic up above as well as a comment about "hasty youths."

"Jin-kun, you weren't at lunch, so I brought you something," Yunoha said shyly, holding out what appeared to be a box wrapped in a handkerchief.

"You're a life-saver," Jin replied enthusiastically, taking the offering. Then, he looked down at his hands which were covered in grease and oil before setting the box down gently on a barrel; the green handkerchief with yellow floral print now had dark stains all along the border. Flushing due to embarrassment, he said, "I'll be right back, need to wash up first."

"Let's go outside to eat," she said as he walked off. "It's such a beautiful day."

-o-

"Wow," Jin remarked, expressing his astonishment. "So this is that fabled homemade bento Andy was ranting about the other day."

Before him lay a magnificent spread of food. Everything looked perfect; between the still-warm rice, the vegetables cut into decorative shapes, the sausages cut to look like animals, and the perfectly golden-brown tempura, he had no idea where to start.

After saying a quick thanks, he worked his way through the entire spread with all the grace and finesse of a starving dog. He hadn't even realized he was that hungry, but the food tasted even better than it had looked. All the while, Yunoha looked on with an expression that was half happy, half amused.

"I was going to ask you if you enjoyed it," Yunoha commented as he finished, smiling gently. "But the expression on your face says it all."

"Actually, now that you mention it…the rice was a little too moist—," Jin began. At Yunoha's expression of indignation, he burst out laughing. "I'm just joking, it was all great. Sorry—you just looked so glad—I couldn't resist."

To which Yunoha responded, "Andy-kun's a bad influence on you."

"Well, more good than bad, I'd say," Jin replied, scratching his head. "Did you make all that by yourself?"

"I had a little help from MIX-san mixing up the tempura batter since it was my first time," she admitted. "But next time, I'll make it myself, so promise me you'll try it."

Jin looked off towards the school building where students were enjoying what free time they had before the final plunge. If his past self saw him now, he'd probably be in for a lecture about keeping his machine in good condition and working towards fulfilling the mission. But to the Jin Muso of "now," it was important to spend time with those you cared about; because those bonds, something he had not realized he had lacked, were what give people the motivation they need to keep pressing forwards.

Before he could answer Yunoha, an announcement over the P.A. system interrupted him.

"Jin Muso, please report to the command room. I repeat, Jin Muso, please report to the command room."

"Well, I guess I should be off," Jin said, getting up off the lawn. "Thanks for the lunch, Yunoha. It was great."

As he walked off, he realized he had never given Yunoha a response to her request. Turning around, he added, "I'll eat anything you make, next time, and anytime after that."

Yunoha's answering smile rivaled the sun for brightness on that day.

* * *

Crea looked up from the many scattered papers on her desk as the door to the command room hissed open. Jin Muso walked in, looking oddly happy for some reason. At least, Crea judged him to be oddly happy based on the bounce in his step, the smile, and the half-vacant expression on his face. _Really, why did it seem like every other student in the school these days looked like that?_

"Have a seat, Jin-kun," she said, waving at the chairs in front of her. "Commander Izumo will be with you shortly. He had some matters regarding battle preparations to go over with you specifically. I'm afraid this won't be a short meeting."

As the boy sat down, Crea couldn't help but add, "Remember that even though Supreme Commander Fudo is no longer here, his declaration of 'Love is Forbidden' still holds. I hope you weren't doing anything improper to Yunoha-san."

Judging by the stammering, blushing, and highly exaggerated arm and hand motions, she had hit the nail on the head as to who he had been with. She knew the two of them were too reserved to actually _try_ anything, but it never hurt to put a reminder out there once in a while. Still, it was getting harder to enforce the rule Fudo had announced on his first day back at Neo-DEAVA. If push came to shove, she'd probably have to annul it after the next battle was concluded.

She returned to her papers, frowning deeply. Casualty lists from the previous battle; thankfully no civilian deaths due to how well-built the anti-Abductor shelters were around Neo-DEAVA, but several gunner crews had been badly injured when the enemy had returned fire and they had three confirmed deaths so far. Interrogation results from captured soldiers; nothing of use, the grunts hadn't been given any information about what Mykage was planning.

Crea was vaguely aware of when Commander Izumo entered the room. Strangely enough, his wife wasn't with him. "Alicia-san's not with you today?" she asked.

"My wife is busy with her own preparations for the coming battle," he answered. "Though I'd rather not place her in any danger, this isn't a fight you can avoid merely by hiding. That is…assuming what we've learned from the 'Book of Genesis' is true."

"It _is_ true, Commander Izumo," Crea replied, without looking up from her papers. "I'd thought you had accepted that by now."

"A little skepticism keeps one ready for any eventuality," he said as he sat down in front of Jin. "Jin, I trust that you're doing well?"

"Yes sir," Jin answered, perhaps a little more formally than usual. Crea grinned, but hid her mirth behind a document so that none could see it; the boy was overcompensating for his embarrassment earlier.

"How much of our battle plan do you already know from hacking into the school's systems?" Izumo asked. "Don't give me that look, Jin. We both know the importance of information and I know you well enough to know that you would have kept tabs on anything important pertaining to strategy."

At this, Crea set down the report she had been looking over and shot Jin a glare. "Jin-kun, I thought I told you three times now to stop doing that." And pointing a finger at Commander Izumo, "And you. Stop encouraging him!"

"Sorry headmistress," Jin apologized. "Force of habit."

Izumo for his part, offered no such apology. Instead, he continued, "Did you share any of that information with your friends at the school?"

"No, Commander," came the reply. "Due to the speculative nature of the information and my judging that our plans may very well be altered before Mykage makes his move, I thought it best to remain discrete."

"Good, I see you've maintained that soldier's edge. Now, about the role you'll be playing, your defensive Element ability will be needed in the Aquarion. Our chances are slim enough, but anything that can buy us time will move the odds in our favor."

"With all due respect, sir," Jin interrupted. "I have a suggestion that might be more effective than putting me in a Vector. And it'll require the Radius Gnis."

It took about half an hour of discussion and debate, but in the end, Commander Izumo agreed to Jin's course of action, provided he had proof that he could pull it off by the end of the week. If Mykage attacked before then…well, it was a good thing they already had a plan set.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised by now," Commander Izumo said to Crea as Jin exited the room. "But that boy is remarkably devious. I can't believe we didn't include him in the planning stage from the start."

"The children have enough burdens of their own, Commander," Crea replied, returning to her papers. "Let them carry as light a load as we can give them. In time, they'll grow, surpass us, and accomplish that which we thought to be impossible."

The commander was silent for long enough that Crea once again became absorbed in her work. Damage reports, requests for compensation, medical expenses…with the shortage of personnel to see to these matters for the past few days, she had no choice but to do the paperwork herself. And what was this? A request for modifications to the six Vectors using parts from…the Ahura Gnis?

"Commander?" Crea intoned. "What's this form requesting the modification for the Vectors about?"

Izumo took the form out of her hands and looked it over. "Oh," he remarked. "That was the result of me considering every option available to boost our chances of getting that girl close enough to Mykage to use her power on him. It'll require scavenging the parts from the Ahura Gnis's wings to work though, since I doubt we'll have the time to refine and smelt the specific alloys needed."

"You didn't mention it to me earlier."

"Because it would be redundant considering I filed a report. The theory is sound. With this, each of the six vectors will be able to draw upon the energy of the Ianthe to boost the performance of all its systems. Weapons and flight capabilities, most importantly," the Commander explained. "Call it a final poke in the eye to Mykage as a gift from the planet he betrayed."

"And how are you going to get the Ianthe working for us? I thought Mykage now has full control over it," Crea said, sounding dubious. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Actually, that's where you come in," Izumo replied shamelessly. "I'll need to get into the main base on Altair and override the processes of the Ianthe to redirect the energy where I want it to go. If possible, I'd like your help in teleporting myself to the planet's surface as soon as Mykage brings Altair to this dimension; assuming he does what we think he's going to try doing."

"You're asking a lot of me," Crea noted dryly. "I'm not as young as I used to be and I'll be willing to bet that the initial distance between the two planets when Mykage forcibly brings it here will be substantial. It's not going to be an easy task to do a precision teleportation."

"It doesn't need to be precise," Izumo stated, "Just close enough for the Ahura Gnis to travel there quickly."

Crea pursed her lips. "Great," she replied sarcastically. "Not only do you want me to teleport you there, but your little war machine too? I'm _really_ getting too old for this."

Izumo shot her a puzzled look, "You've been saying that a lot lately and I've been meaning to ask. Just how old are you really?"

That earned him a fierce glare. But the man must have been made of stone or steel, because he neither reacted nor showed any signs of backing down. Finally, Crea replied coldly, "Didn't your wife ever teach you anything about women? The first rule is that they're always right, no matter how wrong they actually are. The second rule is to never ask one her age. There are 157 rules in total the last time I checked, though the number may have increased by now. So kindly remember rule number 2 right now. By the way, rule 36 says you now need to go get me a box of donuts to repent for your thoughtlessness."

The Commander looked at her in disbelief. In response, she arched an eyebrow at him and nodded towards the door, indicating that her demands should be met. It took a few more moments of eye contact before he stood up, sighing, and strolled through the exit. Crea smiled to herself; it just felt ridiculously _good_ to be able to shatter the aura of confidence that man exuded, no matter how temporarily, even if they were allies. And even if Izumo asked his wife about the "157 rules," Crea knew that the former actress would take her side. Because of the most important rule of all: "Women must always stick together to throw men off-balance."

* * *

"Congratulations on your recovery and release from the infirmary," everyone in the room said at once to Mikono and Kagura as they entered.

It was just past 9 in the evening on the seventh day after the attack. The news that both pilots would be released that evening had spread through the circle of friends quickly that morning and before anyone realized it, they had already planned a party. The choice of location could have been better though. They had wanted the whole affair to be a private event so spacious public areas like the lawn and garden were out of the question. Boys were not allowed in the female dorms, which further limited their prospects. Finally, they settled on using Amata, Andy, and Jin's shared room, keeping the door open so that they could make use of Kagura's as well should just one room be insufficient.

"Thank you," Mikono said, beaming at her friends. It was definitely good to be out of the hospital bed and able to wander about the school as she pleased again. She had almost forgotten what the term "freedom" meant.

Kagura, however, sniffed the air inquisitively and bluntly said, "I smell food."

"Right you are," Andy declared proudly. "When we heard that you two would be released today, we went overboard preparing something that would put all thought of that nasty hospital food they shove down your throats in the infirmary out of mind."

Her friends each brought out a wrapped container from behind themselves and set it in the center of the room.

"We'll reveal it in a counterclockwise order, alright?" Andy asked, to which everyone agreed.

Amata had made a large batch of fried rice. It looked simple, but the aroma wafting up from it, full of spices, drew Mikono's attention immediately.

"You can cook?" she asked incredulously.

"Surprised? I had to learn early on…you know since I lived alone for all those years. I guess it was worth it though," he said, a little hesitant to bring up such a subject.

Yunoha had made a large batch of tempura. The color and texture looked great and Mikono couldn't wait to try some.

"I've been practicing," she said shyly, casting looks at Jin.

MIX then revealed a batch of curry.

"I didn't know whether you liked runny curry or the thicker kind," she stated. "So I just made what I knew best."

"It looks delicious," Mikono replied. Kagura seemed to agree, as he was eyeing the chunks of beef at the surface with an expression on his face that said, "Can I eat now?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Jin said. "But I can't cook, so I just brought a fruit basket."

"It's the thought that counts," Mikono answered.

What surprised her most was Zessica's offering. A roast turkey with stuffing, dripping with juice and sending out an aroma that had everyone's mouths watering.

"What?" Zessica said in a defensive tone. "Is something wrong?"

"Sorry," Mikono replied. "It's just that—you don't really seem like the type that would know how to cook. I was just surprised."

To her surprise, her friend burst out laughing. "I guess you're right about that. But we all have our little secret skills and hobbies."

Finally, it was Andy's turn. Grinning widely, he ripped the tinfoil off the tray he had brought out to reveal—

"Charcoal briquettes?" Mikono guessed.

"They're chocolate chip cookies," Andy declared indignantly. "I'll have you know that they're perfectly fine!"

MIX reached over and poked one of the black lumps. It promptly collapsed into a pile of ash. "Andy…did you follow the recipe I gave you at all?"

"Sure I did," he replied defensively. "It's just that I—kind of started late so I might have taken a few shortcuts."

Mikono eyed the tray apprehensively. She was almost afraid to ask, but curiosity and a desire to avoid making whatever mistake the boy had made won over. "What sort of shortcuts?"

"Well, it said bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees, but I was in a bit of a rush, so I cut the time down to 5 minutes," he answered.

MIX finished for him. "Don't tell me—at 750 degrees?"

"How'd you know?"

-o-

"And that's basically all the training from hell Fudo Zen put us through while you were gone," Amata finished. "Good thing too, because I get the feeling he saw our current situation coming and tried to prepare us for this. I kind of miss him, despite his cryptic ramblings. Father's been trying to fill in for him, but the school just feels—emptier somehow."

"It must be nice," Mikono replied, moving towards a subject she had wanted to talk with him about. "Finding out that your mother and father are both still alive after all this time. I'm happy for you—really."

The two of them had taken to the balcony for some fresh air after eating. Kagura had initially wanted to join them, but had been pulled into a game of Old Maid with the rest of the group. A game he was losing at pretty badly due to his inability to keep his thoughts from showing up on his face.

"By the way," Mikono asked. "What's your relationship with Kagura-kun anyway?"

Amata leaned on the railing and was quiet for a moment. "It's complicated," he finally said. "He's me, but then again, he isn't. I guess you could say that we both come from the same source originally and were split and then lived separate lives until we developed into two different people? Mmm, now that I think about it, I guess the best explanation would be that we're identical twins, except we split about 6 years later than the typical case."

"And what do you think of him?"

This was the question she most wanted to ask. It had been almost unnerving being next to Kagura in the infirmary due to how much he had changed since she had last seen him. To go from that crazed Abductor who was strangely obsessed with her (though to be honest, she felt a indescribable connection to him even back then), one with a "who gives a damn about anyone else" mentality, to what he was now, Mikono was wondering just what had gone on in her absence.

"Well, considering our first few meetings involved trying to kill each other, I'd say I had just about the worst first impression of him anyone could have," Amata began. "But after spending some time together…forced, actually, courtesy of your [Connection] the first time we tried to rescue you, we ended up understanding each other somewhat. He's coarse, ill-mannered, overconfident to the point of frustration sometimes, but Kagura's a surprisingly good person at heart. His determination to see you returned safely, I think, was what convinced most of us to accept him."

"I see…" she said quietly as she looked off into the distance. "Amata-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Remember when we first met? And how I thought we were similar?"

Amata smiled at that, reminiscing. "Yeah, two useless people who chanced upon one another. Though I'd really like to think the two of us have outgrown the 'useless' bit."

"I suppose so," Mikono answered. "Though I'm not too sure about myself. It seems like I haven't done anything but cause you all trouble."

"That's not true at all," Amata protested. "You don't know since you weren't there, but there's a noticeable difference when you're not there in the Aquarion with us. How can I put it? It's like trying to play a movie when the lens is scratched up. It'll work, but the results aren't pretty."

"You're always like this Amata-kun," Mikono said as she looked up at the moon. "Kind and considerate. Trying to make others feel better about themselves. But compassion can hurt too, you know. I know our friends are trying to act like nothing's changed since I was taken away in order to make me feel better, but I can feel it. You've all changed a lot and it feels like I've been left behind with no idea how to catch up."

"You're right in that we've all changed," Amata replied, choosing his words carefully. "Mostly for the best, I want to say. Jin-kun's found a balance between isolation and friendliness that works for him. Yunoha-san's opened up a lot, partly thanks to you, I'd say. Kagura's gotten better at expressing himself and working with others. But you're wrong about needing to 'catch up.' Because this isn't some kind of a race. You're right there alongside us, Mikono-san. Because you're our friend. Because the bonds that connect us all, the same bonds you [Connect], will always be there."

She looked at the boy who she had met that fateful day so long ago in a run-down movie theatre playing a second-rate film because he had missed his mother. He could no longer be called a boy anymore. He seemed more—sure of himself somehow.

"What about you, Amata-kun," she asked quietly. "How have you changed?"

"I found a few answers along the way," he replied, leaning back on the railing. "And—I guess I've become a little more selfish."

Despite the seriousness of their conversation so far, Mikono found herself laughing at that.

"What?" Amata exclaimed indignantly. "It's true."

"Amata-kun," Mikono replied. "That's not it at all. When you're trying to describe something like that in a positive light about yourself, it's called 'becoming more self-aware.'"

"Oh, is it now?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. He looked to the interior of the room where the game of cards had just ended. "It seems like Kagura wants to take a breather so I guess I'll take his place for the next round. Why don't you two chat for a bit? He seems to become more sociable the more time he spends with you. Which, in his case, can never hurt."

Mikono tried to ask him to stay, but something stopped her. She felt a little torn between wanting Amata to stay and wanting to be with Kagura. But seeing the smile on his face as he took a seat next to Zessica, she realized what she had subconsciously meant earlier by "not being able to catch up." She didn't know how to feel…happy for the two of them? Jealous? Sad? She looked up at the moon, as if hoping it could provide the answer as to why tears were running down her cheeks.

* * *

"What's the matter, friend of mine?" Shrade asked. "You look troubled."

Cayenne stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. As usual, Shrade was at the piano, seemingly paying no heed to the world around him as the melody flowed from his fingers. That could be no further from the truth; the way Shrade's music interacted with the world around him gave him more insight than all the five senses combined.

"Just feeling restless," Cayenne admitted.

It was just past midnight, the new day marking a full two weeks since the last battle. Cayenne would have expected a prophetic dream of some sort by now, some clue as to the enemy's plans or movements. But as of late, his dreams had all been normal ones. A year ago, he would have been happy to be rid of all those recurring nightmares, but now, their absence filled him with anxiety.

"You can feel it too, I suppose," Shrade replied. "That this will either be the start of something new for us all, or da capo, a return to the beginning for our world. The timbre of the world has been rather—mournful since the Supreme Commander was taken."

"Will you be piloting the Aquarion in this coming battle?" Cayenne asked out of concern. Although his friend had made a complete recovery since the last time he had piloted, Shrade's poor health would always remain a critical factor.

"What's this, dear friend?" Shrade replied. "You shouldn't concern yourself with me. What matters most now is that we stop our foe from accomplishing his goal. You should know better than any that should my presence in a Vector be required to accomplish this, I would not hesitate."

"That's not what I meant!" Cayenne exclaimed, grabbing Shrade by the collar. After a moment, he calmed down and released the other young man. "I want to know if they have you piloting a Vector right from the start!"

Shrade smiled calmly, "That they do not, to my dismay. It does not sit well with me that I'm to remain as a reserve while our juniors take to the front-lines." Seeing the expression set on Cayenne's face, he asked, "They have you as a reserve as well then?"

Cayenne nodded. "But what has me most on edge is how little information they provided me with in terms of our battle strategy. 'It's on a need-to-know basis', Instructor Dantes said. Damn that man, but that's my sister he's sending to the fore!"

"I'm sure they have their reasons," Shrade replied, returning to the piano. "In the meantime, why don't you keep me company for a while, for old time's sake?"

The soothing melody coming from the grand piano eventually lulled Cayenne to sleep. It wasn't until the alarm sounded, resonating throughout the school, several hours later that he awoke. Jumping to his feet, Cayenne ran to the window. Although it was still dark outside, he noticed that something foreign had appeared in the sky. A red planet; the eye of an angry god staring down at the world below.

"So it begins," Cayenne remarked quietly.

"Indeed, my friend," Shrade answered. "The final curtain has been raised. It is now time to give a performance worthy of praise in 12,000 years time."

* * *

*notes: I had a bit of trouble in mapping out this chapter. On the one hand, I didn't want the material to seem too filler-esque. On the other, I wanted to showcase a few last interactions between the group of friends before ending the chapter at the very start of the final battle. A few hints scattered here and there about what will come to pass in the final battle, but nothing _too_ revealing.

A pretty bittersweet moment for Mikono this time around. I hadn't originally meant for it to go that way, but after just letting the conversation between Amata and her work itself out, it ended on that note. I didn't really like her too much in the anime, but I'm starting to feel a bit more sympathy for her these days when writing her scenes.

Oh—I had almost forgotten that I wanted to explain my choice of titles this time around. It might sound pretty strange at first, but there's a reason…several reasons actually, why I chose it. First, as you might have guessed, is a reference to the original series "Genesis of Aquarion." Secondly, Genesis as the first book of the Bible and Revelation as the last would roughly make the title equivalent to "Beginning of the End." Finally, the last wordplay is based on the actual meaning of those words. Genesis as "the origin" and Revelation as "the act of revealing". In my mind, it refers to Mikono finally getting her own character development in the story, that is "the beginning of her revealing her true self, freed from worrying about the expectations of others."

Next chapter title preview:

**Chapter 23: To Challenge Destiny**


	23. Chapter 23: To Challenge Destiny

**Chapter 23: To Challenge Destiny**

"It seems that we're out of time," Izumo noted, looking up at the sky.

"Yes," the Headmistress replied. "Donar, Suomi, as of this moment, you two are no longer my subordinates, but the joint heads of the academy. The pilots have all been told their roles in the coming battle. You two will be in charge of leading them to victory."

"Yes, Headmistress," the two answered in unison.

Izumo nodded and turned to make his way to the Ahura Gnis. It was good that the two of them had accepted the responsibility without question; it showed their conviction. Crea fell in stride beside him, looking proud at the fact that her former subordinates had grown.

"It's now our turn to provide as much for the next generation as we can," Izumo stated.

"Shouldn't you arm yourself before going?" Crea asked. "You don't know whether we'll run into heavy opposition on Altair. Also, shouldn't you at least say farewell to your wife and sons?"

"I have no need to arm myself," Izumo replied. "I _am_ a weapon. Anything more would be superfluous. As for saying farewell to my wife and sons, there will be no need for that. Goodbyes before setting off are meant for those who don't know their duty. Or for those who don't plan on returning."

Crea sighed. "Men," she muttered in a voice just loud enough for him to overhear. "No common sense even if they think things through."

Izumo ignored that and climbed up the ladder into the cockpit of the Ahura Gnis, lending a hand to Crea after he had entered. As he initiated the power-up sequence for his machine, he felt a charge of energy running through every fiber of his being. It was the sensation that he used to have back when he was given a mission as a new pilot; it had been a long time since this had happened and he felt…younger somehow.

"Are you ready?" Izumo asked as the final preparation cycle concluded.

"Let's get this over with," Crea replied. She had seemed a little put off ever since he had suggested this plan, citing a multitude of reasons as to why long distance teleportation would be draining. Izumo had admitted that it was probably going to be a burden on her, but the overall benefits if they succeeded would be immeasurable.

The Ahura Gnis, now missing the six flaps that made up its wings, rose into the air. Izumo concluded that the teleportation was disconcerting. One moment, they had been hovering above the academy, looking down at the tower, and the next, they were in Altair airspace, with twisted metal walkways and rundown buildings as far as the eye could see. True to her word, Crea had transported the two of them to a spot not too far from the Command Center. The imposing building loomed over them, adding to how dark and desolate the world of Altair had become.

"Mykage has a lot to answer for," Izumo said, gritting his teeth. In the distance, smoke rose into the air in several neighborhoods although the source of the fires could not be discerned. "It looks like the Command Center is locked down. Well, at least I can bypass security."

"Oh, are you sure your override codes are still going to work?" Crea asked. "It's been several months since you were la—"

Izumo knocked a hole in the side of the building by punching through it with the Ahura Gnis.

"Oh, _that_ kind of bypass," Crea noted. "I should have guessed. You've been rather…direct lately. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. I'd hate to be the one that needs to break bad news to your wife."

"Stay with the Ahura Gnis in case we need to make a quick getaway," Izumo ordered before jumping out into the makeshift entrance to the building.

Crea just gave a quiet _tsk_ as a reply.

* * *

"Alright, I'm totally pumped for this!" Andy shouted as he took off.

MIX shook her head, "Just stick to your job, Andy. Don't go on ahead of everyone and get blown out of the sky."

"You can't really blame him," Kagura replied with a grin as he took off. "I've been meaning to tear Mykage a new one for a while now."

"I agree," Amata said. "Legendary Aquarion or not, we can't fail. For the sake of our future."

"Yeah," Zessica agreed. "I'm not going to let the world end that easily. There's still so much that I want to do…"

"In order to keep the promises I made," Mikono continued. "I won't back down. I refuse to run and hide."

The six Vectors flew off into the night sky towards the red planet. Each pilot had a task and, although they did not know what had been assigned to the others, they trusted their friends to get the job done.

"You'd better make sure my sister gets back safe and sound," Cayenne growled over the communications channel from the command room. "Especially you, Kagura. I'm holding _you_ personally responsible."

"Heh, quit it with your sister complex already," Kagura replied. "You don't need to tell me to protect her."

A lone machine joined them on their flight upwards.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about us," Jin said from the cockpit of the Radius Gnis. Sometime during the past week, he had tweaked the controls of the Akhtar System so that they were much more responsive. As a tradeoff, they now required the full attention of the pilot, meaning that he couldn't pilot the actual mech at the same time. The solution? Add a second set of controls to control the main body, which Yunoha was now in charge of.

"Everyone, do your best," Yunoha exclaimed before turning translucent when Jin gave her a broad smile.

As they approached the Legendary Aquarion, the pilots heard Mykage's voice, speaking not through a communication channel, but as if he were right next to them.

"Well then, humans. Have you come to throw yourselves at my mercy? To beg for forgiveness?" the man gloated as the Aquarion began to glow.

"Not a chance," Kagura replied angrily. He fired off a few shots, but from this distance, he didn't do any damage. In fact, the beams faded out of sight long before they even looked like they would reach the enemy.

"You foolish beings never cease to amuse me," Mykage laughed. "Very well, out of respect for your show of courage and what remains of my feelings for Apollonius, I shall allow you to live…just long enough to witness the destruction of your worlds and the birth of a new, more perfect world!"

The Aquarion spread its arms out and engaged its wings. "Bear witness to the birth of the new god of your world!" Mykage exclaimed with glee as streams of red energy poured from Altair into his machine. The golden glean of the Aquarion slowly darkened into a purplish-black. Gems on the body of the machine glowed like stars. The Legendary Aquarion also grew in size until it was the size of a small moon. "Bear witness to your inevitable demise!"

This blatant show of power rendered the pilots of the Vectors speechless. They had been determined to defeat Mykage; but then again, they had also thought it would be a fight between machine and machine, not machine versus titan-sized monstrosity.

In the end, it was Jin who broke the silence. "Sorry to disappoint you, Mykage," he retorted. "But I'm an atheist."

Andy burst out laughing. "Oh man, Jin…did you actually tell a joke? That was pretty good, hahaha. But yeah, I guess that if it's a choice between not believing in a god or that bastard up there, I'll choose the former."

"I don't know what your plans are, humans," Mykage stated. "But it does not matter if all of you are stopped here and now!"

"Here he comes," Kagura warned, "get ready."

The Vectors dodged, splitting up their formation as the hands of the Legendary Aquarion shot towards them, trying to grab them with a [Mugen Attack].

"Time for us to do our part, Yunoha," Jin said as he engaged the Akhtar System.

Just over a hundred hexagonal plates detached from his machine and flew off into the surrounding space. A moment later, the modifications Jin had made to the system kicked in and each unit projected a holographic image around itself. Suddenly, the area was filled with over a hundred Vectors, each flying in a pattern meant to confuse any observer. Yunoha added her personal touch to Jin's plan, using her power to the utmost limit in order to cause the Vectors, both real and fake, to continuously blink in and out of visibility. She wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, but according to what the two of them had been told by Headmistress Crea and Commander Izumo, their job was to buy as much time as possible for the Vectors to close the distance.

"Jin, you damn traitor," Mykage exclaimed. "I knew I should have gotten rid of you when you showed your true colors. I know just what to do with you and your treacherous lover."

The hands of the Aquarion changed their course, ignoring the Vectors and their holographic fakes and pursuing the undisguised Radius Zero instead. But between Yunoha's piloting and Jin angling his barriers so that the hands glanced off his shields before touching the mech, they managed to avoid being grasped for a considerable amount of time.

"You are FATED to bend to my will!" Mykage declared. The eyes of the Legendary Aquarion blazed to life, glowing malevolently.

Suddenly, two hands appeared right on top of the Radius Gnis, enveloping it instantly. It was only after they had been captured that the arms appeared, reconnecting the hands to the Aquarion. To create an effect before the cause was established, the violation of causality; Mykage had invoked a troublesome power.

"Now begone with you," Mykage stated. A bright light shone between the palms of the Aquarion and when it was all over, the Radius Zero had vanished.

"Jin-kun!" Amata yelled through the communication channel. All he got in response was static.

"Oh, don't worry," Mykage reassured them. "They're not dead, yet…I merely transported those pests somewhere that they can't interfere. I'll bring them back later so that you can all watch together as I remake your world."

The units of the Akhtar System, in the absence of their controller had stopped moving around randomly and floated off, carried away by their momentum. In no time at all, it became obvious which of the "Vectors" were the real ones. Still, Jin's strategy had bought them a considerable amount of time; they had covered roughly a third of the distance to their target.

But with that power that allowed him to reverse cause and effect, they wouldn't last long at all. Almost immediately, one of the Vectors had been captured.

"Andy!" MIX screamed.

"Now be gone with you," Mykage exclaimed gleefully at his captured target. A moment later, his expression changed to one of disbelief. "What!?"

Because Andy's Vector had reappeared outside of his prison.

"Hey, man-with-the-god-complex!" Andy said mockingly. "Having trouble capturing a single mere human? Some deity you turned out to be!"

"Andy, I'm not sure you want to be making him angry at you," MIX warned.

But Andy just replied, "It's not my fault he overestimated his own abilities."

His insulting tone and utter disregard for Mykage made him the Aquarion's primary target. Of course, every time he was "captured" he reappeared again outside, slipping out of Mykage's grasp. The reason for this was that Andy was using his power to create a "hole" in the fabric of space, similar to what Mykage was doing in an effort to capture him. Whenever it appeared that he was caught, he would just "jump" to a new location.

But this wasn't a game he could keep up forever. Eventually he would tire and be caught. However, Andy knew his task; to buy time for the others. He would see to that job. His friends were depending on him. MIX was counting on him.

* * *

"Having trouble? Your failing is that you've always underestimated the determination and dreams of humans, Toma. Or would you prefer that I call you Mykage?"

Fudo Zen's voice sounded in the cockpit of the Aquarion. Of course, he wasn't actually inside the chamber, but as a part of the Aquarion itself, he could project his thoughts wherever he wanted them heard.

"Silence Apollonius! The time you have bought for these wretched humans has come to an end. The 'Wings of the Sun' answer to _my_ will now," Mykage retorted angrily.

"Say what you will, but when a god can't deal with a single boy whose power is to dig holes, I have doubts as to the veracity of your claim to godhood."

Mykage tried to shut out the voice as he focused on capturing the annoying insect fluttering about the battlefield. They should not be causing him this much trouble! They should be powerless before his splendor! They should have given up when that difference was made clear to them. But yet they persisted. Annoying…

Zen Fudo spoke up again. "By the way, your past incarnation wants to have a talk with you. He says something about wanting to reconcile with his poor, deluded half. Do you want me to leave a message for him since you're busy?"

Mykage gritted his teeth together. He was beginning to think it was a mistake to have captured the commander of Neo-DEAVA; the man was proving to be just as much of a nuisance as the pilots themselves, as well as an extremely effective distraction.

But despite Apollonius' taunting, Mykage finally managed to catch the pilot of the Vector who had kept eluding him. It wasn't due to his skill in piloting the "Wings of the Sun"; the boy had simply grown too exhausted to continue using his power any further.

"So…you like holes, boy?" Mykage sneered. "How about I place you right next to a nice one?"

Without hesitation, Mykage transported the Vector to a far region of space, near a black hole. He made sure to put the machine just far enough away that full acceleration would be just enough to avoid being dragged any closer. After all, he wanted the pilot to feel terror and despair as the Vector slowly ran out of fuel and then slowly drifted into the crushing abyss.

* * *

"Andy, answer me!" MIX shouted as his Vector disappeared from view. It was no use, she didn't get any response from him.

"Damn it," she muttered. "Why'd you have to go and push yourself so hard? You'd better still be alive…I won't forgive you if you aren't!"

A soft glow enveloped her as she cried out in anguish. Her power, which rarely had any uses in battle aside from making quick repairs, overflowed. [Spatial Augmentation], which usually meant filling holes and reinforcing structures, now stabilized the very fabric of space and time.

Mykage, was not pleased to find that he could no longer reverse causality by altering how the flow of time worked. But that wasn't the only trick that the girl had up her sleeve. Her Vector transformed itself, becoming the head of the Aquarion Gepard.

"Take this!" she screamed as she unloaded everything she had at the Legendary Aquarion.

"Know your place, human!"

Mykage blocked the barrage with the palm of the Aquarion before sending it hurtling towards MIX's vector. She tried to fly out of its path, but the hand was just too large to avoid and she was caught between the thumb and forefinger.

"Quit struggling," Mykage demanded as he hurled the Vector into a nearby asteroid. "This is as difficult as stepping on ants without crushing them. I said I'd leave you all alive to witness the end so that you will truly know despair."

After declaring his intentions, he turned his attention to the four remaining Vectors

* * *

Izumo left the two guards he had knocked unconscious outside the command room, stepping into the room stealthily. He didn't have much time until reinforcements arrived and he had a lot ahead of him to do. Accessing the command program from his chair, he impatiently typed in his password and then allowed the machine to run a fingerprint and retina scan. The whole process took longer than he would have liked.

"Damn," he muttered. "Looks like I need to reset the Ianthe to default settings before I can reroute the power."

Every additional process he had to run through would mean more time for soldiers to reach his room. Izumo shut the door to the chamber remotely and locked it; that would buy him a few additional minutes as the Ianthe shut down and restarted. In less than a minute, but seeming far longer than that, the progress bar filled up. All around him, the lights of the city shut off as the Ianthe powered down. The Command Center itself remained operational on backup power.

As Izumo started up the power sequence, he heard the sound of pounding at the door. He would have to work fast. Taking a small data stick out of his pocket, he connected it to the terminal and then activated the override protocol. Another progress bar started filling slowly.

It sounded like the troops outside were trying to blast open the doors with their firearms. Too bad for them that the building plans for the Command Center had called for heavily armored doors on all rooms leading to essential locations. However, Izumo noted that there seemed to be several Gnis units launching from the nearby base; it would be foolish to think that they were heading anywhere other than here.

"Come on," Izumo muttered as the progress bar finally completed. From a list of options, he ran the final program meant to route all available power from the Ianthe to the Vectors. Red beams of energy shooting up into the dark sky told him that it had worked. Glancing at the door to where the sound of gunfire was still coming through, he decided that it would be better to escape through the window. Not that he thought he couldn't handle the troops outside, but he would rather not have to; it was difficult to avoid using lethal force when someone was shooting at you.

"Headmistress, I've accomplished my mission. Requesting a pick up at the window of the central command room," Izumo said through his communicator.

"Which room would that be?" came the reply. "There's enemy machines closing in and I'm not sure where your location is."

"Just look for the shattering glass."

"The what?"

Izumo used his power to shove through the glass panes. He did not intend to get as badly cut up as his son had jumping through a window. With a running start, he leapt through into the air—and landed on the shoulder of the Ahura Gnis.

Climbing into the cockpit, he remarked, "Nice timing."

The Headmistress shook her head, "Reckless. I can see where Kagura-kun gets it from."

* * *

The sudden acceleration of her Vector took Zessica by surprise. They had already closed in two-thirds of the distance to the Aquarion. The boost in speed meant that the final distance would not take long to cover. Of course, her part in the plan was to protect Mikono. That much had been made clear to her by both Commander Izumo and Headmistress Crea.

"Is it just me, or are we drawing on the power of Altair like Mykage did earlier?" Amata asked over the communications channel.

"It doesn't matter, just focus on your task, weakling," Kagura replied. Zessica was about to retort in Amata's defense, but after hearing Amata chuckle, she realized that it was banter to help alleviate their battle nerves.

"You dare turn the power of the planet against its god?" Mykage raged. For some reason, the man had been sounding more and more unhinged as time went on. It couldn't just be because they were getting closer to their goal…could it?

"Get over yourself," Amata replied coldly. "Any god that resorts to threats and force to subjugate others does not deserve that title. For the sake of all who have suffered under you and those that you intend to cause suffering to…your ambitions end here!"

"Filthy mutt, I see you still don't recognize when you're in the presence of your superiors. Very well, you shall be next."

The Aquarion reached out for Amata's Vector. At this range, not even the boosted capabilities of their Vectors would allow them to evade. Amata seemed to understand this, because he transformed his Vector into the head of the Aquarion Evol and pushed back against one of the hands, trying to keep it away.

"Amata!" Zessica yelled as the second hand closed in to him.

Without waiting for a response, she flew towards him. And as she did, she shouted the words, "Final Duet Union. Go Aquarion!"

The familiar sensation of becoming one with Amata, that feeling of bliss beyond imagining, filled her as the Vector rearranged itself into the torso of the Aquarion Evol and joined up with the head. She wanted to lose herself in that pleasure, but their immediate situation made that impossible. Perhaps afterwards they could repeat the experience…

"Zessica?" Amata asked in surprise. "You're supposed to be protecting Mikono-san!"

Zessica smiled brazenly at him. "Still talking about other girls in front of me? I might get jealous, you know."

Her Vector rearranged itself some more, extending its own arms to grasp onto the hand of the Legendary Aquarion that was approaching from Amata's blind spot.

"If the two of us can prevent him from using his hands," Zessica continued, "then it's better than anything else we can expect to do alone. And besides—"

She stopped before wording the rest of her feelings, looking down between her feet to avoid eye contact.

"Thanks Zessica," Amata replied softly. "I didn't mean for what I said to have sounded like that. It's just that—this isn't exactly the safest spot in the universe right now. But since you're here, I might as well say this. I'm glad you're here with me at the end."

Zessica's heart pounded in her chest. The power readings on her HUD shot upwards; with the added boost from absorbing energy from Altair, they were now literally off the charts. The hands of the Legendary Aquarion, which had been threatening to surround and crush the two of them, were now pushed backwards slightly.

Mykage was forced to deal with the remaining two Vectors without the use of his hands. The only armaments he had left were the weak guns built into the head of his Aquarion. Guns that now tried desperately to track Kagura and Mikono's movements.

* * *

Mikono looked back at where Amata and Zessica were holding back the Aquarion's [Mugen Attack.] She thanked her friends in her mind for the effort they were putting forth to allow her to finish her mission before turning back towards the front. 50 kilometers left. At the speed they were going, it would take less than a minute to reach her target.

"So that's your plan," Mykage remarked, laughing madly. "Trying to use that harlot's power to force me to merge with my past self. Well then, I shall crush your hopes and dreams of a future! You cannot stop me Apollonius, not this time. Your gambit has failed and with it, the fate of your worlds will be mine to alter!"

All the firepower from the Aquarion focused on Mikono's Vector. And although Kagura tried to alter the trajectory of as many beams as he could with the power of [Reversal], there were just too many to counter. Mikono herself had no defensive Element power. She was forced to dodge to the best of her ability. But she still took hits.

The power boost from the Ianthe meant her machine could absorb quite a bit of extra punishment, but at a distance of only 10 kilometers away, her engine shorted out. Her machine spiraled off-course, unable to maintain its trajectory towards the Legendary Aquarion.

"Mikono-san!" Amata yelled through the communication channel.

"Do you see that Apollonius! I have won. All your plans, your deceits, your betrayals, were for naught!" Mykage laughed out triumphantly.

Mikono's mouth twisted upwards into a smile.

"Element power [Doppelganger], deactivate."

Her figure blurred and was replaced by her true form. Alicia Sora. An actress with few roles to her name due not to lack of skill, but her disappearance. Almost fittingly, her power was to perfectly copy the physical appearance of anyone she wished. Of course, she couldn't copy their personality or their abilities, but her considerable acting skills made up for it. For the past few weeks, she had been talking with and observing Mikono so that she could play this role in the final battle. To disguise herself as the girl so thoroughly that even her closest friends would be fooled. A role that was now complete.

"What! Where is that deceitful harlot!" Mykage cried out indignantly as the head of the Aquarion turned to and fro in search of his enemy.

From her seat in the cockpit of her now immobile Vector, Alicia Sora watched her son Kagura grinned predatorily as he closed the final distance and reached the chest of the Legendary Aquarion. And just as the two machines touched, Mikono, who had been turned invisible by Yunoha at the start of the battle at Alicia's request appeared, sitting on Kagura's lap.

"Game over," Kagura declared as a blinding light exploded outwards from the center of the Legendary Aquarion.

* * *

*notes: I apologize for the delay in putting out this chapter (I can barely believe it was a week's worth of delays.) I had to format my hard drive on my laptop last week, which ended up deleting a good portion of writing. After that, well, I must have subconsciously wanted not to end everything just yet and slowed my pace of writing or something. This will be the second to last chapter, not counting at least one omake I plan on writing after the final chapter.

As for the chapter itself, it consists of two separate events: Getting Mikono into the "Wings of the Sun" and a short aside with Izumo where he proves that not even stoic commanders are unaffected by the excitement that comes with a final, winner-take-all confrontation. Oh, and also proves that yes, Kagura's hot-bloodedness was in fact hereditary. Izumo just manages to suppress it better due to age and experience.

As for why Mykage was acting off-character the entire chapter, take the section written in his perspective. Now imagine Fudo Zen doing that the entire time from the point of being fused with the Aquarion up until now. Add in additional commentary throughout the fight when the Vector pilots prove that they deserve their reputation as the academy's best. Yep, the Supreme Commander, in the absence of a physical body, has weaponized trolling to great effect.

As you might expect, the next chapter will wrap everything up. Sorry to Cayenne/Shrade fans for their lack of participation in the final battle, but on the bright side, at least I'm not butchering their characterization by attempting to write them in (that and they already had a good scene in Aquarion Evol canon.) The last chapter of the (main) story will be:

**Chapter 24: Beyond the Test of Time**


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